Help us catch fly-tippers

Many people do not realise that discarding items they no longer want or need, on public or private land, is classed as fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence.

For example:

• Leaving a box of unwanted household items on the footpath outside your home
• Leaving donated items outside a charity shop when closed
• Leaving items outside charity bring-bank donation points when they are full
• Leaving unwanted items from your home next to a public litter bin

Leaving out unwanted / donated items often results in items becoming ruined or contaminated. Bags or boxes left outside are often exposed to rain, mud, and wind, which can render items unusable. They are also frequently ripped open by people searching through them, or they can attract others to deposit waste which then results in locations becoming fly tipping hot spots.

Think before you pay someone to take your waste away. We are aware that there are people who advertise their services on social media saying that they can take your waste away for you at a low cost. Do they have the correct licence to collect waste and where will they be disposing it? A licensed business will not mind you asking for this information. If your rubbish is found fly-tipped and you have not done these checks, you may be guilty of committing a criminal offence for failing in your duty of care. 

Many people also do not realise that when a company is paid to take away their household waste, this then becomes classed as the business's trade waste. Your household waste can only be taken to the Household Recycling Centre by you (or a friend or family member) with a valid permit. As such, waste collected by a company must be taken to a licensed waste site that can accept trade waste. 

You can find more information on how to check that a business is licensed on our registered waste carriers page.