Fly-tipping costing £thousands
The illegal dumping of waste by criminal gangs is costing the security industry £thousands in clean-up costs and insurance claims, according to the British Security Industry Association (BSIA).
The costs, which might be borne by the landlords of fly-tipping hotspots if they are not covered by insurance, can routinely reach £hundreds-of-thousands and claims have been known to regularly exceed this figure.
Companies who fail to adequately protect their assets, or have been victims of fly-tipping in the past, could find their insurance cost rising – and they are not the only ones who shell out. Some of these costs are met by taxpayers.
According to the Local Government Association the cost to taxpayers of clearing up fly-tipping rose to £57 million in the past year, up 13% on 2017.
Restrictions on the tipping of waste and the inevitable dumping to avoid paying for waste processing are key factors.
In some cases, sophisticated fly-tippers set up dummy companies, which advertise cheap skip rentals, take out short term leases on warehouses, then fill them from floor to ceiling with waste before moving on. The landlord only finds out when the rent has not been paid and they visit the premises to investigate.