Report fly tipping
What is fly tipping?
Fly tipping is where people illegally dump waste onto the highways, footpath or adjacent land. The size of a fly tip can range from one bag of waste to a whole lorry load. Fly tipped waste can be either domestic or commercial.
Fly tipping is a crime. Penalties include:
- fixed penalty notice of £400
- an unlimited fine and up to 5 years in prison
- vehicles used to commit offences can also be seized and crushed
Did you know? Householders can be fined up to £5,000 and end up with a criminal record if they ask someone else to remove their rubbish and it is found to be fly tipped. Don’t use unlicensed waste carriers – if you do, you’re breaking the law too. Find out more about the household duty of care.
How can I dispose of additional household waste?
People wanting to get rid of extra rubbish that doesn’t fit into the normal waste bins should take it to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre, which is free, or they can contact the Council’s bulky waste collection service. Large items or bags of waste can be collected for a small charge.
Alternatively you might want to use a private waste carrier to collect your rubbish.
It’s your duty of care to ensure waste carriers are legitimate.
Let’s SCRAP fly tipping and follow the steps below when selecting a waste carrier.
- S - Suspect all waste carriers; do not let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate. A professional waste carrier should happily answer reasonable questions.
- C - Check that a waste carrier is registered on the Environment Agency's website.
- R - Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away. If you suspect that someone who you have spoken to will be disposing of waste illegally, report them to the Environment Agency.
- A - Ask what will happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
- P - Paperwork must be obtained: a proper invoice, waste transfer note or receipt, including a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier’s contact details.
Each householder has a duty of care to ensure that any waste carrier they use is legitimate. If they decide to use someone else to collect their waste, they should make sure they are a licensed carrier.
Report fly tipping
If you discover fly tipped waste please do not touch it as it might be evidence that we can use. It could also contain hazardous material.
You can report fly tipping using the links below which take you to our My Requests system. You will need to register to do this if you have not used My Requests before.
We recommend using My Requests with a different web browser than Internet Explorer, such as Chrome or Safari.
Report fly tipping on council land
Report fly tipping that needs clearing now
Our cleansing teams will clear fly tipped waste where it is on Council maintained highways, footpath or adjacent land. We cannot clear fly tipping that is on private land.
Report fly tipping on private land
If you have witnessed fly tipping on private land please tell us about it.
We need to know:
- the date and time you saw it
- the location
- what was tipped and the amount. Please don't touch any waste as it might be evidence we can use
- descriptions of people you saw and any vehicles used including registration numbers
You can report that you have witnessed fly tipping using the link below which takes you to our My Requests system. You will need to register to do this if you have not used My Requests before.
We recommend using My Requests with a different web browser than Internet Explorer, such as Chrome or Safari.
Tell us that you witnessed fly tipping
Your report will be investigated by our Environmental Enforcement Team. Please note that we will not contact you to tell you if the rubbish has been cleared up.
If there is evidence to identify the person who have fly tipped, we will take enforcement action.
What happens if someone fly tips on my land?
If someone fly tips on private land, the landlord or tenant is responsible for removing the illegally dumped waste.
You are not legally allowed to keep the waste on land if you do not have an Environmental Permit to do so, so any waste that is fly tipped on your land must be removed.
If you pay someone else to remove and dispose of fly tipped waste from your land, you must make sure that they are authorised to do so, and that you are given a Controlled Waste Transfer Note. You will need this as evidence if any waste removed from your land is found fly tipped elsewhere.
You can find out more on the Environment Agency website or www.tacklingflytipping.com.