Legal
Duty of care: how to avoid a fly-tipping fine when you hire a clearance firm
11 June 2026 · 5 min read · Birmingham & the West Midlands
If waste from your property is fly-tipped, the penalty can land on you — not just the person who dumped it. It takes two minutes to check the firm you are hiring, and it is the single most useful thing in this whole blog.
What the law actually says
Under the UK household waste duty of care, you must take reasonable steps to make sure your waste is passed to an authorised person. Councils can issue fixed penalty notices to householders whose waste is found fly-tipped, and business fines go considerably higher.
The two-minute check
Ask for the waste carrier registration number and look it up on the Environment Agency public register. Then keep a record of who took the waste, when, and what it was. A booking confirmation with the firm's details on it is enough for a household job.
- Ask for the waste carrier registration number
- Check it on the Environment Agency public register
- Keep the confirmation, invoice or transfer note
- Be wary of cash-only, no-paperwork social media offers
Red flags
No licence number, no written quote, no company name on the van, and a price far below everyone else. Cheap loads that vanish quickly are usually cheap because the waste never reached a transfer station.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I be fined if someone else fly-tips my rubbish?
- Yes. UK duty of care means the householder or business can be penalised if they did not check that the carrier was authorised. Always keep a record of who took your waste.
- How do I check a waste carrier licence?
- Ask for the registration number and search the Environment Agency's public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers.
- Do I get paperwork from HaulEra?
- Yes. Every booking is confirmed by email with our details, and commercial loads receive a waste transfer note.
Get a fixed quote from photos
Choose your service, pick a day and time that suits, and pay by card or cash on the day.
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