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Environmental Issues

What is fly tipping?

Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land or a highway. Fly tipped waste generally consists of household rubbish and waste that is difficult or expensive to get rid of, such as tyres, mattresses, household appliances and construction/DIY rubbish.

Report fly tipping

If you see someone fly tipping or would like to report an area where fly tipping has taken place, you should make a note of the following and let us know:

  • the date, time and place of the fly tipping

  • the type and amount of dumped waste

  • a description of any persons/vehicles involved in tipping the waste.

Please note that we cannot remove rubbish that is within three metres of a river or ditch, or is in the water. In these cases, call the Environment Agency on 0870 850 6506

If you have further information or witnessed the incident please use the form below to report it.

Report Fly Tipping Online

What are the penalties for fly tipping?

We can issue anyone caught fly tipping with a fixed penalty notice of £400. Serious offences of fly tipping are punishable by an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison.

Why is fly tipping a problem?

Fly tipping

  • is unsightly and could devalue property

  • may cause serious problems to waterways and the environment in general

  • can harm wildlife and be a risk to humans

  • costs landowners and local authorities around £150 million every year to remove.

Fly tipping on private land

We can only remove fly tipped waste from council-owned land. If the land is privately owned, you will need to contact the landowner.

If you are a landowner, you are responsible for removing the fly tipped waste. You can refer to our Fly Tipping Guide for Landowners in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough [PDF, 0.4MB] for further information.

How do I get rid of bulky waste?

See our pages on: