Householders in West Lothian are being urged to play their part in tackling illegal fly-tipping by using reputable traders.
And the council will publish pictures of dumped materials on social media to track down the rogues and householders who use them.
The council’s data shows that 80 per cent of fly tipping locally is caused by commercial businesses/tradespeople dumping large quantities of garden waste, old kitchens and bathrooms, building materials and items such as old car tyres. There were 265 more incidents of fly-tipping in 2018 compared to 2017.
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Householders are now being encouraged to check that their tradespeople have a valid waste carriers licence before employing them – otherwise householders could end up being fined.
Both tradespeople and householders are legally responsible for ensuring they dispose of waste items legally and safety. And the council said it will be more proactive in highlighting illegal dumping by taking photos and sharing them on social media and with the local press and encouraging people to report fly-tippers.
Andy Johnston, service manager within the council’s NETs, Land and Countryside Services, said: “Both residents and businesses are legally responsible for disposing of waste legally and safely.
“It’s important for residents to know that they can be fined if their waste is illegally dumped, even if it is not them that dumps the waste.
“That can be avoided by asking to see a valid waste carriers licence.”
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