What is fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish. It is punishable by a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and the possibility of an unlimited fine on conviction.
Fly-tipping:
- can seriously pollute watercourses and contaminate land.
- can endanger human health, wildlife and livestock.
- is unsightly, spoiling our communities and the quality of life for local residents.
- is seen as a major problem by over three quarters of landowners and affects 67% of farmers.
- undermines legitimate businesses who are undercut by illegal operators.
- encourages others to dump more waste.
Who pays for fly-tipping?
We all do. Every year, it costs Council Tax payers around £250,000 to clear waste dumped illegally on public land in Suffolk.
If waste is dumped on private land, landowners have to clear it at their own expense.
#SCRAP flytipping
Our #SCRAPflytipping campaign is live across Suffolk and in other counties across the UK.
This campaign aims to prevent the problem of fly tipping before it is created. The campaign is aimed at residents and businesses whose waste is sometimes fly tipped by unlicensed operators. It aims to remind people that they should only allow licensed waste carriers to take waste away for them and how to check a waste carriers license. It also raises awareness of the issue of fly tipping and how to report it, leading to more reports helping to find those responsible.
- Suffolk fly tipping leaflet PDF2.53MB
Report fly-tipping incident
Contact the authorities
Your local waste collection authority clears fly-tipping on public land. Contact your local district or borough council. Contact details below.
Alternatively, you can report bigger incidents of fly-tipping by calling the Environment Agency's 24 hour Hot Line on 0800 807 060. They investigate incidents with a greater potential to cause harm to human health and damage to the environment.
Any information you supply will be treated in strictest confidence in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Prevent fly tipping
Find out how to avoid and prevent fly-tipping if you are a householder, landowner or business owner.
You have a legal responsibility, or Duty of Care, to make sure that all waste from your household or business is disposed of correctly.
You could face prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000 if your waste ends up fly-tipped.
Always check your waste is being disposed of by a registered waste carrier, otherwise you risk your waste being fly tipped. Anyone employed to remove waste from your home or business must have an ‘Upper Tier waste’ licence that will start with CBDU. You can check the register of waste carriers on the EA website here.