Man with a van fly-tipping causes backlash against young Heywood mother Melissa Austin

Fly-tipping at Lobden

Melissa Austin has found herself at the centre of a backlash after some of the waste tipped on Lobden Moor turned out to be her rubbish she had hired a man in a van to take to the tip for her.

24-year-old Melissa, from Heywood, hired the man to take her Christmas rubbish to the tip; six black bags and two large boxes with cardboard from children’s toys. However, instead of taking the rubbish to the tip, he dumped it at Lobden.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/107194/anger-at-more-flytipping

Melissa says she chose this particular man and van as he was advertised on sale and swap sites on Facebook and he was the one who could move the waste the soonest.

She only found out her rubbish - along with many other items - had been dumped at Lobden when she began receiving messages after her address was posted on social media.

Melissa explained: “I often go to the tip with the odd black bag, but because it was just after Christmas, I had more rubbish than usual and it wouldn’t have fit in the car. I have two young children, so it was easier to pay someone to remove it as it’s a lot of hassle to take the car seats out and then to put them back in.”

She says the man turned up with another man and van, saying they had lots of collections that day and they were taking their own rubbish to the tip as well.

Melissa was not given a receipt to prove her waste had been correctly disposed of, nor was she shown a licence to prove the man was legally eligible to remove rubbish.

She said: “I’m disappointed that people behave in this way. I am disgusted with the man who collected my rubbish and it will make me question other services advertised on Facebook. When I messaged him about it, he blocked me. It was silly not to check, but you don’t think anything like this will happen over a few bags and boxes.

“I’m also disappointed that my name was plastered all over Facebook, when it shouldn’t have been. People need to find the facts before accusing.”

Melissa has also received a threatening letter through her letterbox, saying: “If you don’t come and shift all that rubbish that you have dumped on Whitworth Moor, the whole lot is coming back into your garden, I promise!”

Andrew Wilkinson, who runs 'A Wilkinson’s Removals Ltd', a licensed waste disposal company, explained the correct procedure for disposing of waste.

He said: “People get a van and charge people money to remove their waste but don’t have the correct licences and then they end up fly-tipping. It’s making our community look dirty and giving other reputable removal companies in the area a bad name.

“Reputable businesses pay out £154 for the licence. A business needs to be registered with the Environment Agency as an upper tier waste carrier before you’re even allowed to collect waste and be paid to take it away.”

He continued: “You’re given a licence card which shows you’re licensed to move waste. You’re also obligated to give all customers a receipt as proof of their waste being taken away under your business name. And you have to keep an inventory of any waste removed.

“You take it to the local tip as trade waste, providing a receipt to the customer first and then one from the tip to say what weight you have tipped off.”

A social media post that has since been deleted or removed showed the man and van in question did pick up the waste from Melissa’s house. He also changed his profile name and business name after Melissa asked him how her rubbish came to be on the moors after paying him to take it to the tip.

The 'man with a van’ was approached for comment but did not respond.

Rossendale Borough Council was also approached, but could not be reached.

You can check if someone is licensed to remove waste at:

https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers