BY definition, a van may be a commercial vehicle, but it does not follow that its cargo is always connected with trade.

People are using, borrowing and hiring vans all the time to transport personal goods -- and that includes their rubbish.

Why, then, are councils making the absurd assumption that people turning up at public tips with vans full of household junk, garden waste and DIY debris -- all of it obviously domestic waste -- are conveying trade refuse just because it is brought in a van?

Their ban on van-borne rubbish at tips is not only over-arbitrary in itself, it is bad for the environment -- because it risks much of this waste being dumped instead where it should not be.

It is not disputed that councils need to crack down on businesses who abuse the free tips in order to escape paying for disposal of their trade waste. But a blanket ban on vans only encourages fly-tipping that is dangerous, unsightly and costly to clean up.

People with vans are being turned away from tips and told to bring back their rubbish in a car, or, in the case of bulky items, such as old sofas, arrange for it to be collected by the council -- a service for which some charge and can involve weeks of waiting.

Many with legitimate domestic waste may now take umbrage and simply sling the stuff wherever they can. Studies show that most fly-tipped waste is household rubbish and a policy that encourages more of this illicit dumping is clearly misguided.

It may be that it stems from efforts by councils to cut the amount of waste going into landfill sites -- as failure to meet government reduction targets will burden them with landfill taxes for each surplus tonne.

But the fact is that household rubbish should not be turned away from public tips just because it is brought in a van. This waste should go in the tips, not the back streets or country lanes. Councils should lift the van ban and keep a sharper look-out for the trade waste dodgers.