Reminder: leaving waste outside charity shops is a crime

It seems timely to remind ourselves that leaving waste outside charity shops or full recycling bins is illegal.

In May 2020, the government’s DEFRA said on social media: “Did you know leaving items outside closed charity shops or full clothes banks is #flytipping? Fly-tipping is a crime.”

This week, the local Public Protection Partnership has issued the following statement:

Fly tipping is simply leaving waste on land which does not belong to you and for which you have not been given permission to do so. It does not matter if it is for a day or for a few weeks; such locations can include a local car park, a country road or places such as outside charity shops or at charity or recycling bins, leaving waste at such locations is a criminal  offence and you could be fined or prosecuted for this. Fly tipped waste can cause pollution and affect people’s health.

If you do have waste to get rid (which will not fit in your usual household waste collection) please consider the following points:

1.       Book a slot at your local household waste recycling centre (The West Berkshire Council webpage is here)

2.       Find out if your local authority has a bulky waste collection for larger items by checking with them. The West Berkshire Council collections page is here.  

3.       If you do pay for clearance services make sure you use a registered waste carrier (you can check here: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers)

4.       If you have items you wish to donate to charity shops, check the opening times and deliver into the store when open (some ask that you call ahead to confirm).

5.       If a charity bin is full do not leave your bag at the side of the bin, take it home and try again another day

Remember it is your duty to dispose of your waste in an appropriate manner and to ensure anyone you pay to assist is correctly registered.

Photo above is by Alan Stanton, Flickr Creative Commons Licence, cropped.