What is fly tipping?

Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste, which could involve a single black bin bag or up to a van load of rubbish. It can occur everywhere from country lanes, parks, behind shops, and in laybys, even in the street you live on.

Fly tipping is a blight on the environment; a brief list of these effects are listed below:

• It costs money to remove - often money that could be spent on other public services
• Fly tipping can be harmful to health, pollute the environment or harm wildlife
• It can block roads or be distracting for drivers
• Depending on the type of waste dumped, fly tips can attract pests such as rats and mice to an area

What if the fly tip is on private land?

The Council will investigate fly tipping that occurs anywhere in the Borough, regardless of whether it is on public or private land.

We will not remove fly tipping from private land; this is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the land. There are circumstances where the Council will require the owner or occupier of the land to remove the fly tipping.

Penalties

Fly tipping is a serious criminal offence. The penalties include:

• Imprisonment for up to five years
• An unlimited fine
• Seizure or forfeiture of the vehicle used to commit the offence

If you cannot dispose of your rubbish yourself, contact a licensed waste carrier with an Upper Tier licence who specialises in waste collection (you can check potential contractors on the Environment Agency public register). Please do not be tempted to dispose of the waste illegally and always vet any contractors who will take cash for your waste; they could dispose of your waste down a country lane somewhere instead of taking it to the proper outlets.

We thoroughly investigate all incidents of fly tipping across the Borough and if you are caught illegally dumping waste, you could be fined and / or prosecuted.

For more information contact the Envirocrime Section on 01785 619000 or email envirocrime@staffordbc.gov.uk. You can report fly tipping using our online form.

Please note, if the information you provide regarding a fly tipping or littering offence involves a vehicle, a full, signed statement will be required from you in order for us to access registered keeper details. Please be prepared to provide this as part of your report otherwise we cannot trace the car and no action will be taken.

Avoid burning any waste and causing excess smoke - our Regulatory Services Team can investigate this as a statutory nuisance.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue have advice on the burning of waste.