About dumped rubbish and littering penalty notices

Littering and dumping rubbish (fly-tipping) is illegal. If you are seen doing it you will be:

• fined without warning
• taken to court (if you do not pay the fine)

Pay or appeal a fixed penalty notice for dumped rubbish, littering or dog fouling.

Littering

If you litter, you can be:

• fined £500
• taken to court and issued a fine of up to £2,500

The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 states that if a person drops, throws, deposits, or leaves anything that defaces a public place they are committing a littering offence.

This includes small items such as:

• food wrappers
• chewing gum
• cigarette ends

Always use a litter bin or take your litter with you.

Dumping rubbish (fly-tipping)

If you dump rubbish, you can be:

• fined £1,000
• taken to court and fined up to £50,000

Fly-tipping is defined as an ‘illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it’

This includes dumping things like:

• a mattress
• electrical items
• a bin bag full of rubbish in the street

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) estimates that household waste (including leftover DIY material and abandoned electrical goods such as fridges) account for half of all fly-tipped rubbish in England.

What you can do to help

If you see it, report dumped rubbish.

If you spot them or have evidence, report someone dumping rubbish.