Fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste or rubbish. Anyone fly-tipping waste is committing a serious offence and may be fined or prosecuted in court.
Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the person who owns the vehicle.
We clear fly-tipping from the highway and council owned land. We are not responsible for clearing fly-tipping from private land, although we can still investigate and take action against the offender.
If your rubbish gets fly-tipped and you cannot prove you took the necessary steps before paying for its disposal, you could be fined £600.
Rubbish bins or bags on the highway
We will work with households to help educate people about the best way to dispose of their waste. If you are unsure about how to present your waste, you should contact us to discuss it further.
If we find that a household doesn't respond to our advice and are still not complying with our waste requirements, then the issue will be investigated.
What do I do if I discover fly-tipped waste or I see someone fly-tipping?
- Do not touch the waste as it may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazards.
- Do not disturb the site as there may be evidence that could help identify the persons or business responsible which could lead to their prosecution.
- Try to work out what the waste consists of and how much is there.
- Make a note of the date and time you saw the fly-tip, its exact location and whether it is in or near water.
If you discover a fly-tip and you feel it is imperative to remove any evidence in order to preserve it, (i.e. documents that include a name and address), please take photographs of both the fly-tip and evidence in situ. Please note this practise is not recommended and you will also be asked to provide a written statement.
Who should clear it?
Please note: if the issue is about missed household bin collections, please use our missed collections page. You can also report abandoned household bins using our separate process.
Fly tipping clearing
This is not our responsibility to clear. It is the responsibility of the landowner.
Identifying landowners and perpetrators, prosecuting them, can be a difficult and lengthy process. The waste can remain in situ for long periods. This can attract further tipping and other problems such as vermin or public health hazards.
Because of community concerns, we have a programme to clear these areas of fly-tipping. There may be a delay of several weeks before we remove these materials. This is because we have to target our resources towards our statutory obligations.
Are you contributing to fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping usually takes place to avoid disposal costs. When it comes to waste, you have a duty of care and could be found responsible for fly-tipping or breaching your duty of care if your belongings are dumped by a third party that you have hired or allowed to remove your unwanted possessions.
Make sure you don't contribute to fly-tipping. Think SCRAP before employing or allowing anyone to remove unwanted waste:
- Suspect all waste carriers and ask the questions you need to know before allowing them to remove anything.
- Check they’re registered on the Environment Agency's website and have a valid Waste Carrier's Licence.
- Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away.
- Ask what will happen to your rubbish, where will it go?
- Paperwork: receipts should show the name of the company and what they took.