Warnings about using cheap waste disposal services

Ashfield District Council is warning residents about using cheap unlicensed waste disposal services after an Ashfield resident was fined £400 for waste related offences. 

Ashfield District Council’s Community Safety team received a report of a large fly tip on Southwell Road, Kirkby, which contained evidence of an address in Ashfield. When the officers visited the address, the resident explained that they had paid an individual, posing as a business, to dispose of their waste. This person then went on to illegally dump the waste. Despite paying someone to dispose of the waste, the resident is still responsible and was therefore liable for a £400 fixed penalty notice fine for household waste duty of care offences. 

The Community Safety team came across a second fly tip, a few days later in Sutton, where they discovered a link to the fly tip in Kirkby. The team is now investigating to find the rogue trader who is a potential serial fly tipper. 

Cllr John Wilmott, Executive Lead Member for Community Safety, said:

“This is an unfortunate case of a resident trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately everyone has a duty of care to dispose of their waste responsibly and this includes using a legitimate business. This means that even if a resident doesn’t fly tip the rubbish themselves, if they pay someone else and they do, then the resident will be receiving the fine. There are lots of genuine licensed waste disposal businesses in Ashfield so we urge residents to check for a license before paying anybody to take away their rubbish. 

“Fly tipping is a blight on our environment and communities and these rogue traders are taking advantage of residents who don’t realise what they intend to do. There is no excuse for fly tipping in Ashfield, and we will use our full powers to trace and fine any individual who disposes of their waste illegally”.

Rogue waste traders are illegal operators, often selling services on social media, offering cheap rubbish removal. They fly tip the waste, leaving the resident who paid them culpable for fines, harming the environment and undermining legitimate waste disposal businesses. 

To avoid these, always check for an Environment Agency waste carrier licence, ask where they are disposing of the rubbish and ask for a receipt. Any suspicious activity or suspected illegally operating businesses, can be reported to the Council on asbduty@ashfield.gov.uk or 01623 457345 or on the Crimestoppers website. 

Posted on 16 January 2026