Public Works Advisory: Increased penalties for illegal dumping

MONDAY, JANUARY 28: The Ministry of Public Works would like to advise the public that the Waste and Litter Control Act Amendment of 2012 increased the penalty for illegal dumping of waste up to $10,000 for a first offence and up to $25,000 for subsequent offences.  Additionally, the amended Act makes it easier to convict dumpers due to changes in the way evidence is examined.  This means, those found guilty of an offence under the Act can now be convicted if items addressed to them or otherwise linked to them are found dumped.

The Ministry of Public Works considers illegal dumping or fly-tipping of waste to be a major problem in Bermuda.  Removing waste once it is dumped is far more costly than correct disposal, very labour intensive and potentially dangerous to human health.  Disposing of waste correctly costs little and is easy to do.

The Ministry spokesperson said, “Illegal dumping attracts and provides breeding grounds for rats, feral chickens and mosquitoes.  Rats and mosquitoes are disease vectors i.e. they carry diseases that are harmful to humans and transmittable as well.  Feral chickens destroy landscapes and farmers’ crops, and spread litter and waste through neighbourhoods and along highways”.

For clarity, the Ministry would like to remind the general public that illegal dumping includes but not limited to materials like household appliances, mattresses, bags of household waste and hazardous waste, which is dumped along the railway trail, in vacant lots and at the end of quiet lanes.