What Is Fly-Tipping?

Fly-tipping is when any kind of waste is placed illegally onto a highway or any land that is not licenced for waste. Illegal dumping of waste varies in the types of waste and in the scale of waste involved.

Tipping items such as bin bags, electricals or mattresses in the street is a local nuisance. In open spaces fly-tipping reduces the amenity value to the community. These fly-tippings are a problem in themselves, but wide-scale dumping on different types of land is occurring more often.

There is no formal definition of illegal waste disposal. The guidelines produced by the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra), states that the definition of fly-tipping is a wide one.

Everyone, including government ministers recognise that fly-tipping whether on a small-scale or a large scale can be linked to anti-social behaviour, the fear of crime and the livability of an area.

Local authorities spend almost £74 million pounds a year to clear up after fly-tippers (Flycapture data 2008). Large scale fly-tipping can cause serious pollution of the environment and cause harm to human health, especially if the waste is hazardous.

Legitimate waste management and recycling business may also be damaged because of fly-tipping.

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