Why You Should Always Use a Licensed Waste Carrier
By Waste Removal Solutions · 2 October 2026
If your rubbish is fly-tipped, you can be fined more than £600, and court cases have reached £5,000 to £50,000+. Here is your duty of care and how to check a carrier is licensed.
When you pay someone to take your rubbish away, it is easy to assume it stops being your problem once it leaves your drive. Legally, it does not.
You have a legal duty of care
Every householder in England and Wales has a duty of care for their waste. That means you must take reasonable steps to make sure you only hand it to someone who is authorised to carry it.
If you give your waste to someone without a licence and it ends up dumped in a lay-by or a field, it can be traced back to you. Councils regularly find names and addresses on letters, parcels and paperwork in fly-tipped rubbish.
What can happen if you get it wrong
- A fixed penalty notice of £150 to £600 for failing in your household duty of care.
- Prosecution if you do not pay, or if the case is serious. In court the fine is unlimited, and some cases have ended in fines and costs of £5,000 to £50,000 or more, plus a criminal record.
- The cost of the clean-up in some cases.
You will not get your money back from the person who dumped it either. Most of the time they simply disappear.
How to check a carrier is licensed
Anyone who carries waste as part of a business in England must be registered with the Environment Agency. Checking takes less than a minute:
- Ask for their waste carrier registration number. A legitimate company will give it to you straight away.
- Search the Environment Agency public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers on GOV.UK using that number or the business name.
- Check the name matches the company you are actually dealing with.
Get a waste transfer note
A licensed carrier should give you a waste transfer note or receipt. It records what was taken, who took it and where it is going. Keep it. If anything goes wrong, it is your proof that you did the right thing.
Questions to ask before you book
- What is your waste carrier registration number?
- Where will my waste be taken?
- Will I get a receipt or waste transfer note?
- Is the price fixed, and what does it include?
If you get vague answers or the person seems annoyed you asked, walk away.
How we handle it
Waste Removal Solutions is a registered waste carrier. Every load is taken to licensed transfer and recycling facilities, and we recycle as much as possible. You get a clear, fixed price before we start, and paperwork for every job.