Fly-tipping is illegally dumped rubbish. Last year we spent around £57,000 clearing it from public land. Fly-tipped waste can range from a single black bag to several lorry loads of dumped waste.

The fly-tipping of controlled waste is a serious criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £50,000 (unlimited if dealt with at the Crown Court) or an offender can even be sent to prison. It is important to realise it is also an offence to allow fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is often associated with dumping waste from vehicles. In this case the person controlling the use of the vehicle can also be prosecuted, which means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable. We also have the powers to seize and destroy vehicles used for fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is illegal, dirty and expensive - help stop it.

Please ensure that any waste your business or household creates is disposed of correctly and legally.  We offer householders a bulky waste collection service for large items such as fridges and furniture. We also offer waste collection services for trade waste.

Don't employ people to take away rubbish unless you are sure they are legitimate. All proper businesses collecting waste should have a Waste Carriers Licence. To check if a waste carrier is licensed, you can telephone 08708 506 506 or check online.

A large amount of your household waste could be recycled. Details are available on our Recycling advice page.

Take your household waste and items for recycling to the tip to get rid of them free of charge.

If you discover fly-tipped waste, please follow these simple dos and don'ts:

• Do not touch the waste - it may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazardous substances.
• Do visually inspect the waste - try to determine what the waste consists of and how much there is. Take note of its exact location and whether it is in or near water.
• Do not disturb the site - there may be evidence that could help identify the culprits.

If you see someone fly-tipping, make a note of:

• any vehicles involved - registration number, make and colour
• day, date and time you saw the tipping
• how many people were involved and what they looked like
• what they were actually doing
• how much was tipped and what it looked like.

We will examine all fly-tipped rubbish for evidence and when the evidence is good enough, we will always take action.

Report fly-tipping