Still a Rubbish Situation: Fly-Tipping in the UK – Latest Insights
I am sure you’re all familiar with this: piles of discarded rubbish on our streets, trolleys in our streams and canals, the corpse of what once had been a couch or a TV lying on country roads, or bin bags left strewn across parks and landmarks. Fly-tipping has been a persistent problem plaguing our countryside for years, and it seems it’s not going away anytime soon.
We started looking into this sad phenomenon back in 2020 and from our latest investigation into the state of fly-tipping across the UK, we’ve discovered some worrying trends. By using Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, we gathered fresh data from councils across the country. Combined with data from previous years, the picture is far from promising.
What is Fly-Tipping?
Imagine, you are enjoying a morning autumn walk, all cosy wrapped in your favourite knitted turtleneck sweater when something unfamiliar appears in the otherwise green hills, and as the mist dissipates to reveal a discarded king size mattress you know the magic of the countryside has been somewhat tainted.
We can define “fly-tipping" as the illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it and it can range from individuals leaving rubbish in public parks to larger-scale dumping of construction materials. The consequences? An eyesore that damages the environment of course, but most of all it’s a significant financial cost for councils and taxpayers.
The Top 10 Fly-Tipping Offenders (2023-2024)
Somewhat unsurprisingly, London remains a hotbed for fly-tipping incidents, with several councils consistently ‘topping’ the charts, however the worst-hit councils in terms of fly-tipping incidents (either reported or occurred) across the UK for 2023-2024 are:
- Croydon Council: 38,163
- Camden Council: 31,457
- Hounslow Council: 31,361
- Nottingham City Council: 22,284
- Haringey Council: 22,148
- Merton Council: 19,846
- Peterborough City Council: 16,132
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: 13,995
- Enfield Council: 12,604
- Southampton City Council: 12,145
With Croydon taking the top spot at a staggering 38,163 incidents taking place between 2023 and 2024, it's clear that fly-tipping is a major challenge in this area, but other London councils aren’t too far behind Camden and Hounslow, each reporting over 31,000 incidents.
The Cost of Clearing It All Up
And as mentioned, fly-tipping isn't just an eyesore, but it's extremely expensive. Councils across the UK have spent millions clearing up illegal waste, and in some cases, the cost of cleaning far outweighs the number of incidents. Although not all councils have provided the exact costs even though incidents were reported for this timeframe, the average cost for a borough, based on the most recent data is around: £118,000.
Here’s are the top ten councils spending the most on clearing fly-tipping:
- Dundee City Council: £3,288,633
- Camden Council: £1,333,304
- Enfield Council: £1,239,075
- Croydon Council: £1,099,594
- Merton Council: £888,197
- Southwark Council: £848,650
- West Northamptonshire Council: £876,840
- Peterborough City Council: £423,387
- Chichester District Council: £408,000:
- Derby City Council: £357,282
While Dundee City Council reported only 1,120 incidents which is far fewer compared to the tens of thousands recorded by some of the worst offending areas, Dundee reported spending an incredible £3.2 million on clearing costs, making it the most expensive council in terms of clearing costs per incident. By contrast, Nottingham, which reported 22,284 incidents, did not report any clearing costs. Somewhat consistent are Croydon and Camden which are appearing at the top of both the number of incidents and cost rankings.
The financial burden of fly-tipping isn’t evenly distributed. In some cases, councils with a relatively low number of incidents appear to be spending far more than expected, suggesting either some major inefficiencies or higher costs associated with waste management.
North vs South: which is more "rubbish"?
The Southern councils, especially in London, are reporting far more incidents. Croydon, Camden, and Hounslow make up the majority of the top 10 worst councils. By contrast, Dundee stands out as a Scottish council with immensely high costs, but it doesn’t compare to the sheer volume of incidents faced by Southern councils.
Good time for a change?
Fly-tipping continues to be a widespread problem across the UK. As local authorities and taxpayers bear the brunt of the costs, it's clear that more needs to be done to deter fly-tippers and manage waste more efficiently. Stricter enforcement, better waste disposal infrastructure, and public awareness campaigns could all play a part in reducing both incidents and costs.
At TOG24, we remain committed to raising awareness about this issue and advocating for solutions that will benefit both local councils and residents alike. But in order to do so, we all must do our part: by disposing of waste responsibly and by promptly reporting any incidents of fly-tipping to local authorities as you witness them. We never send clothes to landfill and partner with Preworn to make sure that used clothing gets a second chance whilst raising money for charity.
Find the full dataset with the results from 129 local authorities
