GUEST COLUMN: Time to take a stand against fly-tipping, by Coun Sonya Ward

An issue which is often raised with councillors across the district is fly tipping. '¨Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish, including building and business waste and household rubbish.'¨When rubbish is dumped on public or private land, it becomes the responsibility of the property owner to clean it up. '¨Last year, fly-tipping on public land in Mansfield cost almost £65,000 to remove. That's money from our council tax bills that could instead be spent on providing much needed services. '¨When rubbish is dumped on private land, it becomes the responsibility of the landowner to pay for removal, which seems very unfair to the people affected.'¨The issue was recently brought to my attention again by a local teenager Erin, who sent me photographs of household rubbish spilling out of a number of black plastic bags '“ an unpleasant sight she was greeted with when walking her younger brother to school down a local lane. '¨I often hear young people being blamed for anti-social behaviour, but here was an example of a young person acting to address the anti-social behaviour of adults. '¨I asked Erin if she'd like to contribute to this column, and she said: 'Fly-tipping or just generally dumping rubbish on a street is horrible because it makes the place seem dirty and not very nice at all, even if it's actually a really great place,' '¨And I think she speaks for most residents. '¨Fly-tipping is inconsiderate, ugly and environmentally unfriendly as well as expensive.'¨We can all try to tackle this blight on our district. '¨If someone offers to take waste to the tip for you, it is legally your responsibility to ensure they are a registered waste carrier.'¨Some waste carriers are taking rubbish and dumping it round the corner, rather than taking it to the tip. '¨If this is your rubbish, even if you haven't dumped it there yourself, you can be fined up to £50,000 or face up to 12 months imprisonment. '¨To avoid this it's vital that you ask to see their waste carrier licence and ask for a