Report illicit dumping
Fly-tipping is illegal and is a serious crime. If you see it in action, call the police on 999 and report it as a crime in progress. Report all fly-tipping incidents to the council, whether your saw it in progress or not.
What to include in your fly-tipping report
Record as many details as possible:
- Exact location
- Date and time that you discovered the fly-tip
- Details and photos of the items.
If you saw the fly-tipping happen:
- Vehicle’s registration number and details
- Description of the fly-tippers (and photos if possible)
- Direction they were travelling
Fly-tipping on private land is not only a nuisance, it’s also illegal and extremely harmful to the environment. Dealing with it can be a headache.
What is Fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is defined as the ‘illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it’.
Tipping a mattress, electrical items or a bin bag full of rubbish causes a local nuisance and makes an area look ugly and run down. At the larger end of the scale fly-tipping can involve several truckloads of construction and demolition waste being tipped on different types of land.
Uncontrolled illegal waste disposal can be hazardous to the public, wildlife and farm animals, especially if it contains toxic material or asbestos. There could be a risk of damage to watercourses and soil quality from the dumped waste too.
How can you prevent it?
If someone has got away with fly tipping on your property, they are likely to reoffend. Prevent recurrence with these tips:
- Install barriers or gates
- Install CCTV
- Install motion-activated lights
- Keep skips inaccessible to others
- Check your insurance cover for fly-tipping
- Lock all gates and other entrances into your property
How to legally dispose of fly-tipped waste on your land
- Put it in your rubbish or recycling bins
- Large items (over 25kg, such as a fridge) can be collected by a reuse scheme or by your local council for a fee
- Get it collected by a licenced waste carrier