Fly-tipping has become a problem across almost all of Britain with more than half of councils now admitting they will never be able to tackle it, research has found.
Some 98 per cent of local authorities polled say that illegal waste dumping is an issue in their area and more than half report that incidents have increased in the past year.
The research by Keep Britain Tidy found that almost all councils are frustrated with the increasing severity of fly-tipping – and 54 per cent now feel ‘that they won’t ever get on top of the problem’.
A poll of 86 local authorities by the environmental charity found that 98 per cent say fly-tipping is a problem in their area, with 70 per cent reporting that it is now a ‘major problem’.
Keep Britain Tidy is launching a new campaign to warn the public about waste criminals who ‘lure people in with cheap rubbish removal deals on social media, only to illegally dump household waste in our streets, fields and public spaces’.
Research by the charity has found that 40 per cent of fly-tipping incidents are now reported to be left by rogue ‘white van’ operators seeking to make a quick profit, rather than individuals.
Dr Anna Scott, director of services at Keep Britain Tidy, said: ‘Fly-tipping is a rubbish deal for all of us. For the public, for councils, for communities and for the environment.
‘That cheap deal on Facebook or WhatsApp may look like a bargain, but it’s a false economy and it’s you and your community that end up paying the price.’
Some 98 per cent of local authorities polled say that illegal waste dumping is an issue in their area and more than half report that incidents have increased in the past year. Pictured: A 10-ft-high pile of waste from Watery Lane, on the outskirts of Lichfield in Staffordshire
More than 1.15million fly-tipping incidents were reported by councils in 2023-24, costing up to £150million and diverting key funds away from vital services such as schools.
The public has also noticed an increase in fly-tipping, with more than a third saying it has become worse in their area in the past year, and 61 per cent saying they feel angry when they see people’s ‘old stuff dumped in their local area’.
However according to a YouGov survey, households are unknowingly fuelling the problem by failing to carry out basic checks when hiring someone to collect their rubbish.
Less than half of respondents were aware they should check for a licence when hiring someone to take away rubbish and, of those who were aware, only 13 per cent have ever done so.
Some 42 per cent of those who considered hiring someone to remove waste said they simply ‘trusted’ an operator based on their advert, two YouGov surveys of more than 2,000 UK adults found.
Almost half of household wrongly believe the person they hired is responsible if rubbish is dumped illegally, and just 34 per cent would ask for a receipt or proof of the service when paying someone to remove their rubbish.
However the poll found there is strong public support for solutions to fly-tipping, with 86 per cent saying they would back schemes requiring retailers to collect old sofas or mattresses when delivering new ones.
Dr Scott said: ‘Fly-tipping isn’t just unsightly, it’s often linked to organised criminal networks making millions of pounds by exploiting gaps in enforcement and undercutting legitimate businesses.
‘It’s a serious criminal offence, and we all have a part to play in stopping it. People need to know that they are responsible for what happens to their own waste, even if they’ve hired someone else to take it away.
‘By doing simple checks and getting a receipt, people can protect themselves, protect their neighbourhoods and ensure public money does not have to spent on clearing up after criminals.’
