Cost of taking action: £/$/€ NIL
Please report fly tipping: don’t leave it to someone else
Think about taking action when you see that someone else has been antisocial, illegal and irresponsible.
In the UK, and we suspect in other countries too, there are problems with increasing numbers of fly-tips. This is where people – often rogue tradespeople – simply dump rubbish at the roadside or on someone else’s land – even in public parks and beauty spots.
This can be anything from an old mattress, through to literally truckloads of mixed waste, including hazardous industrial waste.
Most councils have a reporting process in place so that it you come across a fly-tip you can report it online. They should arrange for the waste to be safely removed and disposed of properly.
But if no-one reports it, the waste degrades, scatters around the local area, countryside or beaches and creates mess, leads to pollution, and attracts vermin.
So please, if you see that waste has been dumped illegally – and we know it is a growing problem – please report it so it gets cleaned up.
Note: if you actually see someone dumping waste in this way, do not confront them. Take pictures, but only if you can do so safely, and report the tip to the local council and police. Your own safety is paramount and you must bear in mind that this activity is being perpetrated by criminals.
Why is this important?
Our towns and countryside is being littered and polluted. The waste causes damage and is a health hazard, and often includes things like chemicals, asbestos and other hazardous waste. By taking action, you know that this will be cleaned up before it can do any more damage.
We can’t stop this happening as individuals, but we can limit the damage by reporting it as soon as possible.
Fly tipping
This is an enormous problem, with over 1 *million* incidents reported in England alone in 2019.
Fly tipping is selfish, disgusting, antisocial, illegal, dangerous, and irresponsible.
Further reading: Fly-tipping & the law | Keep Britain Tidy