New changes to waste regulations are designed to help reduce the thousands of tonnes of household waste being fly-tipped each year. However, the change means all householders in England will now have a responsibility to ensure their rubbish is passed on to authorised carriers only.

And those householders not taking reasonable measures to do so, could face fines of up to £5,000.

Last year, there were 500,000 fly-tips of household rubbish; much of which was dumped by operators posing as legitimate waste carriers. The new regulations come into force from next Monday 21^st November.

Registered waste carriers, other than the local council, can now be found online thanks to a new 'waste carrier register', set up by the Environment Agency.

Announcing the changes to the Duty of Care regulations for waste, Local Environment Minister, Ben Bradshaw, encouraged anyone using a private waste carrier to look at the register, or call their local Environment Agency office.

"Fly-tippers rely on people not asking questions, and not checking for registration - but now all householders have a responsibility to ask those questions, and check for that registration."

"Waste cowboys can make huge sums of money by charging to take household rubbish away illegally, before dumping it over the nearest hedge. If that rubbish is traced back to the household it came from, the householder could now be fined."

However, Mr Bradshaw highlighted that the changes were not in place to 'scare people', but to provide another check in the fight to prevent fly-tipping.

Last year, councils spent almost £1m a week clearing up fly-tips, over half of which were household rubbish; rubbish that could have been disposed of at the nearest tip - free of charge.

And for residents unable to take bulky waste to the tip themselves, most councils offer a subsidised, or free, collection service.

However, for those using waste carriers other than the council to remove household, garden or construction waste, the Environment Agency suggests the following check:

• Consider whether the contractor falls into one of the following categories: all building and allied trades; landscape gardeners, tree fellers and surgeons; house clearers; retail establishments; and scrap metal dealers. These are occupations that will normally need a waste carrier registration.
• Ask the contractor whether they are a registered waste carrier and ask for their waste carrier number. If they are not registered, refuse the service, and advise them that they need to speak with the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.
• If they claim to be registered, telephone the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 and request an instant Waste Carrier Validation Check or check online at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister