Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is the illegal disposal of waste onto land with no licence to accept waste. Fly-tipping affects the aesthetic appeal of an area and  causes damage to the environment. Different types of waste are fly-tipped or ‘dumped’ waste and can consist of large items of rubbish which should have been disposed of properly at a civic amenity site or landfill site.

Why is fly-tipping a problem?

  • Uncontrolled waste disposal can be hazardous to the public who may come in to contact with it e.g. chemical wastes, electrical items, syringes.
  • Environmental damage can result from illegally dumped waste.
  • Fly-tipping looks unsightly which can have a detrimental affect on the appeal of an area or can harm investment into an area.
  • Cleaning up fly-tipping costs council tax payers’ money.
Why do people fly-tip?

Commercial operators may fly-tip waste to avoid paying the disposal fees. Where householders or businesses have work carried out by commercial operators it may be appropriate to enquire as to whether they are registered with SEPA in order to carry waste within Great Britain. There is a list of companies and individuals who are registered with SEPA to carry waste in Great Britain which can be accessed here. The collection of most household rubbish is already paid for through council tax, however large or bulky domestic items, which make up 50% of fly-tippped waste, require special uplift or disposal at a local recycling centre or civic amenity site  Many Scottish local authorities run a bulky uplift service where they will collect large items of household rubbish either free of charge or for a small fee. 

Information on bulky uplift services in your area can be found by visiting www.wascot.org.uk external link and clicking on SORT IT.

What is the legislation regarding fly-tipping?

In Scotland , the main legislation concerning fly-tipping is the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990) external link, as amended.

Fly Tipping Campaign in Scotland

Fly-tipping occurs in both urban and rural areas. Hotspots include verges of country lanes, lay-bys and urban gap sites or back alleys.

Currently Scottish local authorities spend in excess of £2.5 million each year clearing up instances of illegally dumped waste, not to mention the costs incurred by private land owners.

In February 2003, the Scottish Executive supported the development of a Scottish Fly Tipping Forum to tackle the issue.

The Scottish Fly Tipping Forum

The Scottish Fly-tipping Forum was established with all of the key stakeholders who are affected by fly-tipping and the organisations responsible for the investigation and disposal of many fly-tipping incidents. The work of the Forum includes:

  • Development of a national database of fly-tipping incidents
  • Directing the national awareness campaign
  • Provision of best practice guidance
  • Training for local authority enforcement officers

The Forum is hosted and chaired by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

The current Forum members are as follows:

Reporting Fly – Tipping

If you see anyone dumping rubbish illegally then call the Dumb Dumpers Stop Line on 0845 2 30 40 90 or visit www.dumbdumpers.org external link.

The call will be answered by trained staff who will assess the nature of the call. If the incident is on-going, is believed to be of a hazardous nature or near a watercourse the information will be passed to either the Police or Scottish Environment Protection Agency as appropriate. If the incident is not urgent or the waste concerned is non-hazardous, the information will be passed to the Local Authority for investigation.