Littering, fly tip, and animal carcasses

Littering is getting rid of small items such as cans, sandwich boxes, cigarette buts, bottles and paper incorrectly. Litter should be placed in litter bins, taken home and placed in the recycling or waste bins.

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste larger than litter on public roads, land or into rivers. Examples could be refuse sacks (not on collection day), furniture, household items or shop fittings. Everyone has a duty of care to ensure their waste from home, work, or when out is properly and responsibly thrown away.

Animal carcasses, either wild or domestic can be reported. Domestic animals will be scanned for a microchip.

You can also call the councils waste services on 01983 823777.

Spilt waste or recycling

Waste or recycling spilt during collections must be cleared by the waste service provider. Report it to us.

Crime Not To Care

We are supporting Keep Britain Tidy in making it a #CrimeNotToCare about fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence.

By understanding your duty of care and remembering “your rubbish, your responsibility”, we can reduce fly-tipping and cut off the supply to the criminals who do it. If your waste is found dumped, even if someone else has done it, you could be fined for it.

There are some easy steps you can take to avoid unwillingly contributing to waste crime.

Rogue traders

Check the people taking away your rubbish are registered waste carriers. They should have a copy of their registration documents on them. You can:

  • ask to see these
  • check their licence number on the public register. Or call 03708 506506 and the Environment Agency can check for you
  • get a written receipt or transfer note showing their contact details, a description of your waste and details of where they are taking it
  • note down the make, colour and registration number of the vehicle that’s taking your waste away.

Avoid putting extra general waste next to your rubbish bin or sack. There may be times you have an extra bag of general waste that does not fit in your bin. If this is the case, you should not leave it outside your property. If you do, you could get a fine.

You must take it back on to your property until your next collection day. You could also take it to either Lynnbottom or Afton Marsh Household and Waste Recycling Centres.

Scrap metal

Many people used to leave scrap metal, such as washing machines, old BBQs, and old bikes out for the ‘scrap man’. You should never leave any waste like this either on your drive, or in the street for someone to remove. They may not be a registered waste carrier and could take the bits they need and dump the rest. You can contact us to arrange a one-off bulky waste collection.

Unwanted items

Sometimes the things we no longer need are in good condition or could be restored by someone else. It is great if you can donate these items to your local charity shop. You can also use our ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ scheme to donate to someone who could make use of it. You should not leave items out for others to take.

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