Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to address the costs of disposing of toxic or hazardous waste incurred by victims of fly tipping.

Fly-tipping is a crime which blights local communities and the environment, and we are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour. We set out our strategic approach to preventing, detecting and deterring waste crime, such as fly-tipping, in our 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy.

We appreciate the difficulty and cost that fly-tipping poses to landowners and we are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.

The Environment Agency may investigate incidents of fly-tipping that are over a certain size (more than 20 tonnes, 20m³ or a tipper load), linked to organised crime, or involve hazardous waste. The Environment Agency will only arrange for the removal of such fly-tipped waste where there is no adequate response from a responsible party and there is actual or imminent threat to the environment or human health. In such circumstances, the Environment Agency will seek to recover costs from responsible parties where it is appropriate to do so.

We expect all local authorities to investigate all other incidents of fly-tipping, including those on private land, to prosecute the fly-tippers when there is sufficient evidence and to recover clearance costs where possible. On conviction, a cost order can be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator.

We recognise the burden that clearing fly-tipped waste has on landowners. However, central Government generally does not compensate individuals for non-violent crime of which they are a victim. Furthermore, compensating landowners for the costs of removing fly-tipping may risk creating a perverse incentive for some people to dump, or facilitate the dumping of, waste.