Forum Topic

Tradesmen and Recycling rubbish

Why is it so difficult nowadays to find a tradesman who is willing to remove rubbish after they complete a job?Apparently they are reluctant to pay to dispose of old carpets, building rubbish etc. I hear that some tradesmen have been dumping rubbish rather than take them to the recycling depot.Surely there must be some way to avoid building rubbish and so on being dumped in our streets? I have heard that North Acton is a popular spot for builders to just offload the contents of their white vans illegally. I think they would prefer to do this rather than dispose of everything legally.Perhaps Builders and tradesmen should either be required to remove the materials properly or arrange with the householder to order a skip beforehand to ensure that everything is disposed of legally!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5077d15 Comments

Re  Ealing Council have this information together with photographs                   xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      and I doubt Jean if the Council will take any action re the culprits. I had close involvement recently with the Council with 8 dumped big bags of rubbish which  contained full details of the owner and all involved, and the Council visited the erstwhile owners who said they didn't know how their rubbish got where it was dumped, and that was it. The Council took no action!. Useless. And to add insult to injury, didn't even tell the persons owning the land on which the rubbish had been dumped, and who only found out when they  bothered to ask the Council what they had managed to do. So dump your rubbish where you want, tell the Council you have no idea how it got there, and that will satisfy them.

Tony Price ● 5073d

Part of our work is rubbish related and prices for Rubbish ripping and land fill tax has rocketed We have waste carriers licence and produce this All the time if we are collecting any waste For eg of we remove a mattress for a property and take to tip It costs £15 per mattress to dispose of due to The landfills won't take them as lorries props get tangled Up with wire etc We charge on average £270 per load which is About a skip But can only be rubbish. As it costs me £100 per ton to tip plus vat This is why it's going to get worse as in fly tipping and Rogue rubbish removal companies If your rubbish is fly tipped and it can be proved Its yours You are liable for clean up and fine. For not using Licenced waste carrier.

Mark Ryan ● 5073d

Just one more link to what is happening:http://www.carpetrecyclinguk.com/carpet_recycling_uk_february_newsletter_2012.htmlI couldn't make Ecobuild this year but went last year and saw a stand then showing recycled carpet.It is a very interesting exhibition at the Excel Centre each year.

Philippa Bond ● 5074d

Now that we have to change our ways of dealing with waste other companies are appearing:http://www.carpetrecyclinguk.com/http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/grant-support-re-use-and-repairhttp://myzerowaste.com/2009/07/bats-in-the-belfry/

Philippa Bond ● 5075d

Hippobags can be a smaller option.  There may be other alternatives to this particular brand but they are stocked by the DIY shops.  You pay upfront and then they are collected.I also noticed that they are available from some Travis Perkins stores which a lot of builders will be familiar with and buying from.There is no excuse for tradesmen not to know about it.  They do know because that is why they fail to mention to you anything about taking away waste (they would then have to charge you more because it costs them more than it would you a householder).  As a householder you need to think about it and work out how you are going to deal with it.  Reuse is obviously the best answer where you can - so you will have to plan ahead.  This is a change we are having to get used to.http://www.hippowaste.co.uk/hippobags-travis-perkinsIt isn't easy because you may have a crisis with water pouring everywhere from a leaking pipe so you call the plumber and before you realise it they've fixed the problem and left and... then you find a little pile of debris somewhere.  Next time you are more likely to remember!

Philippa Bond ● 5075d

Well someone recently dumped tins of paint and old carpets etc in Acton. A huge sign was left next to the flytipped rubbish giving details of the person responsible! Ealing Council have this information together with photographs and the rubbish has now been removed.On another occasion a neighbour paid men in a van who rang her bell offering to dump rubbish for her. They did - right in the middle of our road which is just around the corner from the neighbour! Needless to say she had no idea who these rascals were but said they were Irish burly looking chaps!So beware of unauthorised people who say they will dispose of your unwanted rubbish as you may well be conned like my neighbour! She could have been in trouble actually as she would have been held responsible for flytipping!We recently had a stair carpet laid but the fitter refused to remove the old carpet. In the end I had no choice but to cut it all up and put it in rubbish bags. I left the bags in my front garden in hope but never thought the binmen would collect it! They did and I was amazed!We got a skip last year when we had a patio laid, it is a much better idea, although costly. At least it avoids a hefty fine!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5075d

and two Press Releases about prosecutions: http://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/314/frosty_reception_for_fly-tipping_ice_cream_parlourhttp://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/306/shops_pay_the_price_for_poor_waste_disposalSomewhere there also used to be (maybe still are) CCTV pictures of individuals flytipping so that anyone identifying them can name and shame them.We have to pay for the clearing up out of our Council Tax.Flytippers can be fined thousands of pounds.

Philippa Bond ● 5075d

The slabs are in a very poor condition thats why I was replacing them, so would guess not many people would be interested but thanks for the very good suggestions

Declan Devine ● 5075d

Why not offer them on freecycle or sell them on gumtree?

Philippa Bond ● 5075d

Hi Declan,What state are the slabs in ? Reason I ask is it may be worth doing a little ring round to builders who'd break these up and use them for crazy paving.Doesn't surprise me about your experience at the Greenford Depot. Recently when my wife went there, they were more interested in seeing what they could salvage for themselves rather than help her carry a couple of awkward items out of the car.

Bud Richards ● 5075d

Maybe the council should make it easier for people to get rid of building materials, I removed my patio earlier this year myself, I had over 60 paving slabs to take to the dump, I loaded up my car with just under half and took them to the dump in Greenford where I was refused entry and told it would cost me £130 to dump the slabs, I am not a builder, I was in a private car but still no joy, while I was dumping some other rubbish I seen a builder in a van emptying its contents of rubble and bricks, I also seen the builder slip the attendant a few £10 notes, maybe thats the way to do it !! I still have my slabs and will get a skip which is a lot cheaper that two lots of £130

Declan Devine ● 5075d

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/04/john_ovenell.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tvfzj

Philippa Bond ● 5075d

Hi Jean,I'm a member at Ealing Golf Club and am driven mad with rage the amount of times that our entrance at the end of Perivale Lane is used for fly tipping. It happens every couple of weeks, but nothing is done. The council inevitably come and clean this up and seem content to do so instead of deploying some hidden cameras to try and catch the culprits. Surely in the long run, this will save money and stop this from happening (in this location at least).Last summer, I watched in horror as a large flat bed truck drove to the end of Perivale Lane, turned itself around and then proceeded to elevate the flatbed and tip all the contents onto Perivale Lane. I immediately ran over but the 3 occupants of the vehicle were burly Irish travellers and gave me a pretty clear warning that if I took a photograph of them or the van, they would "kill me". I'm afraid fear won over here and I scurried away. This all happended at around 7 o'clock on a clear mid-week summer evening.

Bud Richards ● 5075d

I think it comes down to pure cost. We're having a new floor laid at the moment and the builder is ripping out our old and useless laminate. It would cost him £60 to dispose of it but if we take it to the dump it's free. so, the answer is you can have it disposed of if you're happy to pay. A skip is now nearly £300 which is not a trifle

Penny Crocker ● 5075d

It is because of the way waste collection has been divided into commercial and residential.  Residents pay in their Council Tax for an amount of household waste to be collected.  Waste collection is not paid for in Business Rates.All businesses are supposed to have a waste contract in place and all waste is supposed to be sorted before it is collected.  Waste carriers licences are required to carry waste around so perhaps the tradesmen you mention do not have these.  Or perhaps it is because as businesses they are not allowed to just take stuff to the Reuse and Recycling Centre free in the same way that residents are (which is presumably one reason why these Household Waste & Recycling Centres often have a cars only policy).So it may depend on whether the waste has easy value as a resource - eg scrap metal - in which case they may want to take it away! See this re metal theft:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16738000YOU can be fined if you allow someone other than a registered waste carrier to take your waste away. They may be just taking your money and fly-tipping your waste than paying for its proper disposal.You can check whether a carrier is registered with the Environment Agency here:http://www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr/search.asp?id=EP8&&type=registerA Hippo Bag is another alternative and smaller than a skip.Best of course is to find someone who wants whatever you have to give away or sell so it does not become waste.This means thinking and planning before you knock something down.

Philippa Bond ● 5075d