So in recent months we have had rubbish mysteriously turn up in our hedge row. It wasn't your everyday rubbish either, it was industrial leftovers: half bags of cent, electric cables, bricks, cable, etc...

https://pixabay.com/en/wheelie-bin-garbage-rubbish-waste-2272721/

Removing waste from a very prickerly row of hawthorn bushs is not something I had the time or patience to do. I reached-out to Clearabee who did a fantastic job and as such i wanted to share with you a little more about them and how you can stop people fly tipping on your property:

Clearabee often partners with charitable organizations to clear fly tipping sites on public land because it causes blight and degradation to the environment. However, private land owners are often on their own and end up paying high fees for rubbish clearance where fly tippers have illegally and disrespectfully trashed their property.

Of course, the most economical solution to these types of rubbish clearance needs on private property is the prevention of illegal unauthorized fly tipping. Below, we're going to discuss how to prevent fly tipping on your property.

This does not have to be official designation. Any piece of land can be a "wildlife sanctuary" if the owner declares it as such. You can buy "Wildlife Sanctuary" signs on the internet and then post them on the perimeter of your property. The idea is to raise the perceived value of your land in the eyes of any intruders who may be tempted to fly tip and force you to order rubbish clearance. You may also want to put out bird nesting boxes, bird feeders, butterfly houses, bat houses, weather detection equipment, and other signs that your property is friendly to wildlife. You can also plant native plants that attract native wildlife and label these as such. While this may not completely prevent illegal flying tipping problems, this is a strategy that may appeal to all visitors' better angels and deter those with some sense of ethics.

For people who may not be compelled by a pristine nature spot to leave your property alone, you can try appealing to their human side. Put signs out that say something like, "Please don't ruin this property for my children. No fly tipping." Most human beings will behave better when children are concerned. For added effect, and to pull on those strings of humanity some more, you may want to place a bench with your children's or grandchildren's cute little handprints in an obvious location. Be sure to lock it down so it doesn't get stolen!

Adopt a good lovable guard dog from a dog shelter and put out signs with stern warnings like, "Beware of Big Bad Dog. He Loves Us But He Bites Intruders Who Tip Rubbish." If you can get one, put out a laminated picture of your dog with his best snarling expression. Make a point of walking your dog along the perimeter of your property, at least occasionally, so your neighbors will actually see the dog and others will know about him by reputation. This should reduce your rubbish clearance bill for sure!

Okay, some fly tippers don't have a conscience. If they think they can get away with it, they're going to do it. If this is case, move on to the next two sections. However, most people do have a conscience, and if you can make them feel guilty for fly tipping, they may reconsider their thoughts on the matter. You can try making homemade signs that say something like, "Look, I'm just like you. I cannot afford to pay rubbish clearance charges. Please don't fly tip here!" Here's another example, "Attention fly tippers: this is my elderly parents' property and they cannot afford to have the rubbish you dump here cleared." How about this example, "Fly tippers, have a heart! Please don't do this to me again. I've got health problems and I just don't have the energy or money to deal with this!"

If you have a smaller property, ordinary security cameras should do the trick. However, if you have a larger property, you may want to invest in some high quality trail cams or wildlife cams. Instead of collecting continuous video, these types of cams will take a series of pictures or a short video, depending on your settings, when the camera detects motion. This goes onto a USB drive that you can download to your computer. Be careful though, some fly tippers may decide to steal the cams or bust them before they tip rubbish on your property. One way around this is to place the cameras up high where they have trouble reaching them (make it not worth their effort). Put out "Under Surveillance" signs. You may also want to add, "We press charges against all fly tippers!"

Some people prefer not to let people know they are capturing images so they catch the fly tipping culprit(s) and turn over evidence to the proper authorities for prosecution. In these cases, the best solution to your rubbish clearance problem may be no glow security cameras where the LEDs of the infrared flash are invisible. Please note too that there are some trail cams that are specifically designed to capture license plate numbers in low light conditions. Thus, if you have a fly tipping problem that tends to occur at night with people driving up to your property, this could be the perfect solution.