GB2464344A

GB2464344A - Method for determining the source of illegally dumped waste

Info

Publication number: GB2464344A
Application number: GB0818945A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Benoy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-15
Filing date: 2008-10-15
Publication date: 2010-04-21
Also published as: GB0818945D0

Abstract

A method of determining the source of illicit waste disposal comprising: attaching a bar coded label to selected items of waste in a waste-disposal container at a first location, and searching illicitly, unlawfully, or illegally dumped items of waste at a second location for these labels. If a bar coded label is found, this is scanned or read to determine the first location or position where the label was affixed. Preferably the waste-disposal container is a skip. Householders can attach unobtrusive labels supplied by the local authority to items in a skip, and if these labels are subsequently discovered illegally dumped, the authority can contact the householder via the label to enquire who the skip provider was.

Description

METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE

SOURCE OF ILLICITLY DUMPED WASTE

This invention relates to a method for determining the source of illicitly dumped waste.

Illicit waste disposal, commonly known as fly tipping, has become a major problem in recent years. Preventing or deterring fly tipping would be greatly assisted if the source of the illicit waste could be readily identified. At present, local government authorities in the United Kingdom devote considerable resources to attempting to track down and punish fly tippers but with extremely limited success.

One significant source of illicit waste is waste material from house clearances, or waste generated by householders when having building work or garden work carried out. Householders, or their building or gardening contractors, with large amounts of waste to dispose of, will often hire a waste container known as a skip for the disposal of the waste. When the skip is full, the operators of the waste disposal service who supply the skip will collect the skip and take it to a waste * disposal location such as a landfill site or local authority waste disposal facility.

*.*. . . . . This method of waste disposal works efficiently in the majority of cases. However, waste disposal service operators are usually charged by a local authority for the * .*a.a * disposal of the waste and this has led to a number of unscrupulous operators simply *.I.* * 20 collecting waste and then dumping it illicitly. Up until now, it has proved * . remarkably difficult to track down the perpetrators of the illicit dumping. S** *. S.

* The present invention sets out to provide a method for determining the source of illicitly dumped waste.

According to the invention, a local authority provides to householders or other persons who wish to make use of a skip for disposal of waste, bar coded labels carrying an identifier code. The bar coded labels are then attached covertly to selected items within the skip by the householder or other person. When illicitly dumped waste is subsequently found, it is searched for bar coded labels and, if such labels are found, they can be read using a conventional bar code reader to determine the household or other location from which the waste originated. Provided that the householder has made a note of the details of the waste disposal company responsible for supplying the skip, the perpetrators of the illicit dumping can be identified.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a method of determining the source of illicitly dumped waste, the method comprising: attaching a bar coded label to selected items of waste in a waste-disposal container at a first location; searching illicitly dumped items of waste at a second location to establish whether they carry a bar coded label; and when an illicitly dumped item of waste carrying a bar code label is found, scanning the label to determine the identity of the said first location.

The waste disposal container is typically, but not exclusively, a skip.

As an alternative, the waste disposal container may be a load carrying platform of a lorry, truck or van used to collect waste.

* : :: : 15 The bar coded labels may bear, in bar code form, the name andlor address indicative of the said first location (e.g. a house or other building where building S.. S work or garden work or house clearance is taking place). In practice, a person who * : wishes to dispose of waste (particularly by means of a skip) will notify his or her * local authority and the local authority will supply labels bearing coded information specific to or characteristic of that person or that particular waste disposal event.

The labels, which may be formed so as to be unobtrusive, can then be attached by * the person to specific items of waste within the skip. In many cases, items of waste such as electrical items or items of furniture will already carry bar codes and it will therefore be difficult for the casual observer to know whether a bar code is a local authority bar code or a bar code attached by the manufacturer of the item in question.

It will be appreciated that if a waste disposal service operator is contemplating dumping waste illicitly, two scenarios are possible. One is that the operator is not aware that the waste in the skip may have been bar coded. The other is that the operator may suspect or know that the waste is bar coded, for example because the operator is aware that the local authority is operating the bar coding system.

In the first scenario, the waste service operator dumps the waste illicitly in complete ignorance of the fact that it is bar coded and is subsequently found out.

In the second scenario, the waste service operator may suspect that the waste is bar coded and may even have found some of the bar coded labels. However, the operator cannot be certain that all of the bar coded labels have been located and will therefore be less likely to dump the waste illicitly. A further deterrent factor, particularly if the waste service operator is processing large volumes of waste, is the manpower and time (and hence cost to the operator) required to search waste for bar coded labels.

It is envisaged therefore that the method of the invention, if used on a sufficiently large scale, will provide a substantial deterrent to potential fly tippers and should result in a marked reduction in the volume of illicitly dumped waste.

*: : : : 15 It will readily be apparent that numerous modifications and alterations may be made s to the specific embodiments of the invention described above without departing *5*S from the principles underlying the invention. All such modifications and alterations * : are intended to be embraced by this application.

S

S. SS 55 * S * S S... S. SS

S S S * S

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method of determining the source of illicitly dumped waste, the method comprising: attaching a bar coded label to selected items of waste in a waste-disposal container at a first location; searching illicitly dumped items of waste at a second location to establish whether they carry a bar coded label; and when an illicitly dumped item of waste carrying a bar code label is found, scanning the label to determine the identity of the said first location.
2. A according to claim 1 wherein the waste disposal container is a skip. *..* * * * ** . * *** * * S...SS..... * .I*5IS.* * . *.SS * . S... *5 55 * . SS S