The statistics revealed that fly tipping rose in England by 6% to 1.15 million. The year before – 2022/23 – England recorded 1.08 million incidents of fly tipping.
Defra’s statistics have also shown that 60% of the reported incidents involved household waste. This totalled 688,000 in 2023/24, an increase of 5% from 654,000 incidents in 2022/23.
Local Government Association (LGA)
Councillor Adam Hug, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “Fly-tipping is inexcusable. It is not only an eyesore for residents, but a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting rats and other vermin.
“Councils are working tirelessly to counter the thousands of incidents every year and are determined to crack down on the problem.
“However, penalties handed down from prosecution fail to match the severity of the offence committed. We continue to urge the government to review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping so that offenders are given bigger fines for more serious offences to act as a deterrent.
“Manufacturers should also contribute to the costs to councils of clear up, by providing more take-back services so people can hand in sofas, old furniture and mattresses when they buy new ones.”
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)
CIWM’s director of policy, communications and external affairs, Dan Cooke, said: “The latest fly-tipping stats for England, issued today, show that local authorities had to deal with over 1.15 million incidents of illegally dumped waste in 2023/24. This is a concerning increase of 6% from last year.Each and every one of these incidents causes misery to local communities and directly damages local environments and economies.
“60% of fly-tipping involves household waste, with most being a small van load or less. There were 47,000 incidents (4%) involving a tipper lorry load or more, up 11% year on year, costing taxpayers £13 million to clear up.
“Enforcement action was taken in only around 50% of incidents, with 63,000 fixed penalty notices issued and only 1,378 court fines imposed (at an average of £530). This shows that far too many people are getting away with it—either acting out of laziness, lack of information, or deliberately breaking the law.
“Fly-tipping is waste crime. We applaud those local authorities and their partners taking concerted action. Effective enforcement needs greater resourcing, including improved information and awareness, and a coordinated effort by relevant agencies to reduce and minimise the risk of further escalation.
“CIWM will continue to work with partners to provide training and share best practice in driving towards maintaining high standards and responsible waste management, and to highlight how we can all play a part by being vigilant against the scourge of fly-tippers and the environmental, social, and economic damage they cause.”
FCC Environment
FCC Environment’s head of external affairs, Julie Fourcade, said: “Fly-tipping is blight on the UK’s countryside, and brings with it a significant cost to councils to deal with. With council budgets increasingly tight, this money could be better spent investing in initiatives and services that help drive up recycling rates, rather than dealing with the mess left by rogue operators.
“With the rates of fly-tipping on the rise, more needs to be done to combat the issue. The Environment Agency needs both the funding and the teeth to effectively bring these criminals to justice.”
Reconomy Connect
David Gudgeon, head of external Affairs at Reconomy Connect, a brand by Reconomy, the international circular economy specialist, added: “This latest data is staggering and underlines the severe economic harm of fly tipping. It shows that the taxpayer is footing a £13.1 million bill to handle the costs of clearances for tipper lorry size loads (or larger) loads, while the authorities are only recovering £730,000 from fines, a 7% decrease on 2022/23.
“This highlights a number of important call-to-actions. The fact that household waste accounts for so much of this clearly demonstrates the need for greater public education on how and where people can safely dispose of waste and the importance of doing so. There also needs to be a greater focus on fines and enforcement action to create better deterrents and a change in societal thinking to acknowledge the negative impact fly-tipping has on all of us. Businesses also have a key role to play in this by ensuring they are using a reputable and fully compliant waste and recycling company.
“Digital Waste Tracking, a UK-wide system that records waste from households, businesses, and industries, due to come into effect in April 2026 may help tackle this issue. Ultimately though, the data reiterates the imperative of accelerating our shift towards a truly circular economy which protects local environments, boosts economic resilience and future-proofs businesses by preventing waste and circulating resources back into use.”
Want to see your reaction here? Email savannah.c@letsrecycle.com.
Subscribe for free