Summer ABP fly-tipping is a problem that rises every year with the warm weather, as higher waste volumes, stretched budgets and the temptation of a quick fix lead some to dump animal by-products illegally rather than dispose of them lawfully. For the food businesses, butchers and farms of the North West, the danger is twofold, being both the reputational and legal catastrophe of being caught fly-tipping and the risk of falling victim to it on your own land. Using a licensed provider of fallen stock and ABP collection removes the temptation and protects you, and Martlands serves the region from our DEFRA-approved base in Burscough.
Why Fly-Tipping Spikes in Summer
Several summer factors combine to push up the illegal dumping of by-products. Warm weather increases the volume of perishable waste from food businesses and the speed at which it becomes a problem, creating pressure to get rid of it fast. The seasonal surge in catering, butchery and farming activity raises by-product volumes generally. And the very fact that the material is decomposing and smelling makes some people desperate to be rid of it by any means. The result is a measurable rise in by-products dumped on rural lanes, farm gateways and quiet corners through the summer.
The Serious Consequences of Illegal Dumping
Fly-tipping animal by-products is a serious offence, not a minor one. It carries the risk of substantial fines and prosecution, and for a food business it can be fatal to a reputation built over years. Beyond the legal penalties, dumped by-products are a genuine public and animal health hazard, attracting vermin, spreading disease and contaminating land and water. Our guidance on ABP fly tipping guidance sets out the offences and the obligations in detail, and the message is simple, which is that there is no version of illegal dumping that ends well.
Your Duty of Care
Every business that produces animal by-products has a legal duty of care to ensure they are disposed of properly, which includes checking that whoever collects them is licensed and that the material goes to an approved facility. Crucially, that duty does not end when the waste leaves your hands. If you hand by-products to an unlicensed operator who then dumps them, you can still be liable. Using a properly licensed collector, and keeping the documentation to prove it, is therefore the only safe approach, and it is the heart of staying compliant.
How Licensed Collection Removes the Temptation
The honest reality is that most fly-tipping of trade waste happens because lawful disposal felt difficult, expensive or unreliable in the moment. A dependable, properly priced collection arrangement removes that pressure entirely. When you know your by-products will be collected promptly and lawfully, there is simply no reason to consider anything else. We build collection schedules around real throughput, can increase frequency for the summer, and provide leak-proof containers, all of which make compliant disposal the easy option rather than the hard one. For butchers in particular, our note on butchers waste collection best practices shows how routine compliance keeps you clear of trouble.
If You Are the Victim
Farms and landowners are often on the receiving end of fly-tipping, finding dumped by-products at gateways and in field corners, especially in summer. This is both a nuisance and a biosecurity risk, and removing such material safely is itself a regulated task that a licensed collector can handle. We serve landowners across the region, with dedicated cover for Merseyside butchers waste collection and across the wider North West, and can deal with dumped material lawfully so it does not become your liability.
Documentation Is Your Protection
Every collection we make comes with a Commercial Document, your proof that the material was handled lawfully and your defence under the duty of care. Keeping those records is what protects a legitimate business if questions are ever asked, and it is the clearest possible evidence that you do the right thing.
Make Compliance the Easy Choice
The way to keep clear of summer fly-tipping, as a producer or a potential victim, is to have reliable licensed collection in place and the paperwork to match. With that arrangement, lawful disposal is straightforward and the risks simply fall away.
Why Warm Weather Drives Illegal Dumping
Fly-tipping of animal by-products is partly a summer phenomenon. Volumes rise across food and farming businesses through the warm months, storage gets tighter, and the temptation for an unscrupulous operator to dump material rather than pay for licensed disposal grows. The consequences land hardest in the heat, because dumped by-products decompose fast, attract vermin and flies, contaminate land and watercourses, and create a public health hazard wherever they are left. For landowners and legitimate businesses alike, summer is when the risk is greatest.
How Using a Licensed Collector Protects You
The duty of care for waste does not end when material leaves a business. If by-products are traced back to a producer who handed them to an unlicensed operator, that producer can be held responsible even though someone else did the dumping. Using a properly licensed collector, and keeping the documentation that proves where material went, is the protection against that liability. It is also the practical defence against the cost and reputational damage of having waste linked to your name appear dumped in a lay-by or gateway during the busiest season of the year.
To set up dependable, fully licensed ABP and butchers waste collection that keeps you well clear of fly-tipping this summer anywhere across the North West, call Martlands on 01704 776977.
