As part of its responsibilities, the Waste Enforcement Unit:
- investigate waste offences, for example, littering, fly-tipping, dumped waste and incorrect presentation of waste
- issue fixed penalty notices for waste offences
- serve notices to land owners requiring clearance of private land
- inspect businesses for trade waste arrangements
- stop and search patrols with police
- prosecute offenders for waste offences
- undertake education initiatives, for example, providing educational workshops to school children about waste and recycling
- utilise environmental enforcement officers, from the third party specialist Kingdom
- use CCTV units to monitor waste offences
Fixed penalty notices
You may get a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) if you commit waste offences. An FPN is an invitation for you to discharge your liability to prosecution for the offence.
There is no appeal against an FPN.
If you pay your FPN, you will not be prosecuted. The matter will be closed and there will be no opportunity to seek a refund.
If you have already received 2 FPNs for waste offences, further evidence of committing waste offences may lead to prosecution rather than being issued with an FPN.
Depending on the offence, the FPN amount may vary as shown in the table below.
| Type | Amount |
|---|---|
Fly-tipping (including dumped household waste) | £400 |
Breach of s80 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Notice for a Business | £400 |
| Duty of Care - Household Waste | £400 |
Failure to produce waste transfer notes or current trade waste agreement following a Producer Notice under s34 Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Duty of Care) | £300 |
Breach of s47 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Notice - Business presentation and storage of waste | £110 |
Breach of s80 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Notice for an individual | £100 |
Dropped litter and/or dumped waste (for example sack(s) and/or single items) | £150 |
Breach of s46 Environmental Protection Act 1990 Notice - Household presentation and storage of waste | £60 |
| Breach of a Community Protection Notice | £100 |
Vehicles involved in fly-tipping
When investigating fly-tipping from a vehicle, Waste Enforcement Officers issue an enforcement notice which requires information from the registered keeper who was driving the vehicle on the given date and time. The registered keeper has 7 days to respond to the enforcement notice. It is an offence not to respond to this notice. The outcome of this notice may result in a fixed penalty notice, prosecution and/or seizure of vehicle involved.
Seizure of vehicles
By law we can seize a vehicle, trailer or mobile plant and its contents if it is:
- used for fly-tipping
- driven by someone who is not registered as a waste carrier
- used to transfer waste to someone who is not registered as the waste carrier.
When we seize a vehicle, a legal vehicle seizure notice will be published on our website within one day of seizing the vehicle.
We also tell the police and the registered owner in writing.
We can hold seized vehicles for 15 working days while we investigate. If we have started a prosecution, we may keep the vehicle for the duration of the prosecution.
Vehicle seizure notices
For people making a claim for the seized item, We'll display vehicle seizure notices here for 15 working days from the notice date
There are currently no vehicle seizure notices to display.
Businesses disposing of rubbish
Businesses have a legal responsibility to safely contain and legally dispose of any rubbish they produce.
Under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Regulation 35 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, Waste Enforcement Officers can give a notice to a business requiring them to provide records and copies of:
- written descriptions of their waste
- waste transfer notes
- receipts
If a business fails to produce the correct documentation within 7 days, a fixed penalty notice will be issued.
Education in schools
Many schools across Enfield have been visited by waste enforcement and waste services to deliver workshops on littering and fly-tipping as well as the 5Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle).
In these workshops, the focus is on educating children about what to do with their waste and discovering innovative ways to reuse household items instead of throwing them away. We also discuss the consequences of fly-tipping and the penalties associated with it.
A number of displays and stalls are set up in the playground so that parents can ask questions about recycling and waste reduction or concerns they may have about fly-tipping.
As part of our recycling initiative, we have also set up a recycling champions group for schools. This group will enable children to tell us what they would like us to offer. We want to continue to engage with children so that they can build a relationships with us.
Incorrectly presented waste
Waste can sometimes be put out incorrectly. This is usually when:
- it is put out on the wrong day
- it is put out after collections have happened
- it is left in the wrong place for collection
- there are items that cannot be collected
When this happens, it can lead to:
- a lower quality in the local environment
- changes to the way people feel about their street
- litter from split sacks with more animals scavenging
If waste is incorrectly presented, we will issue a warning notice.
If the warning notice is ignored, there is an enforcement process. This can result in a fixed penalty notice being given for each offence.
CCTV
Challenges with using CCTV
We use re-deployable CCTV cameras to help capture and deter fly-tipping. The cameras monitor areas that we have identified as hot spots due to known issues in these locations.
In order to issue a fixed penalty notice, we must be able to identify the individual(s) who illegally dumped the rubbish, including their place of residence or business address. We will knock on doors in the local area to try and identify who the individual(s) are. However, it is not always possible to do so.
If you know the identity and addresses of people who illegally dump rubbish, we welcome your reports, including photographs or video evidence.