Facebook users who use unregistered waste carriers could find themselves being ‘accidental criminals’, the Environment Agency has warned.

Registered waste carriers in Essex have become concerned about the number of ‘man and van’ adverts and self-promotional posts that are being placed on Facebook and other social media platforms which offer to take away people’s rubbish.

If these traders don’t have a waste carrier’s licence, it could end up dumped on the side of the road or burned in a field. Because the person who created the rubbish is legally responsible for it, the householder could face criminal charges and a fine of up to £400.

Peter Lennard of the Environment Agency said: “Rogue traders using social media to con people into parting with their waste cheaply are the new door steppers.

“People are then discovering their waste has been fly-tipped in a country lane or beside the road. These illegal waste carriers undermine legitimate businesses, by undercutting their prices and then blighting the environment.”

Guidance is to check the collector has a waste carrier licence from the Environment Agency, ask where the rubbish will end up, don’t pay cash and insist on a receipt, and record the details of the vehicle used to take the rubbish away.

Check credentials online at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers