Can you trust registered waste carriers?

A HoL member added a post earlier today, looking for someone to remove her waste.

HoL admin provided a link to previous recommendations and commented that it is wise to use a registered waste carrier.

In unexpected turn of events, Bob Ruggles added a post that cast doubt on that advice. The conversation has now been moved here to a new post so as not to derail the original post.

Bob wrote the following.

As proved on recent BBC report. being Registered is Not a Guarantee that rubbish will not be illegally Dumped. And if investigated you are the one held liable. Might be less expensive and Safer to hire a van and book a visit to Western Road , Council Tip . Where Items can be disposed of and even recycled

Thanks, Bob. Having since watched the panorama programme, it is confirmed that it revealed the licensing system as shockingly bad.

Apparently, that is needed to achieve registration is to register and pay a fee online. Absolutely no checks are made whatsoever.

The programme showed an example of a registered waste carrier being electronically tracked and illegally dumping rubbish.

So, do we conclude that the registration system is a complete waste of time or that we're still on balance safer going with a registered carrier?

Having cast doubt on registered waster carriers, it's a real shame that the BBC didn't take the time to answer this question. If it is the case that most registered carriers are reputable, then what the BBC will have contributed to is to driving consumers away from mainly reputable carriers and in to the hands of the dumping criminals.

However, it is fair to point out that BBC are not the first to raise questions about the registered waste carrier system. In 2017, The Guardian carried a story in which a man was easily able to register his dog as a waste carrier!

Brown tested the Environment Agency’s regulatory regime by applying for a waste licence in the name of Oscar, a West Highland terrier who died 10 years ago. The watchdog granted the licence immediately without carrying out background checks

There is at least some advice on how best to use a registered waster carrier. Envirocycle says

All companies or individuals that hold a valid Waste Carriers License should legally issue Waste Transfer Notes. This is an official document that lists the waste that is being removed and effectively changes the ownership of the waste the to the company or individual disposing of it.

A decent waste removal company will give you a Waste Transfer Note as standard, however they may advise that your invoice or payment confirmation is legally equivalent. This is correct, just be sure that whatever documentation you have, it describes the waste being disposed of.