Fly-tipping and littering

Fly-tipping and littering have a negative impact on the environment and human health, as well as a significant cost to taxpayers in having fly-tipped waste removed. It is a criminal offence to deposit waste without authorisation and there are strict laws around the movement and disposal of waste.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, both businesses and householders have a legal duty to dispose of their waste correctly.

Business waste duty of care

Businesses are legally required to ensure that any waste generated through the course of the business is disposed of appropriately. Records must be kept (called waste transfer notes) for a minimum of two years demonstrating that waste has been collected by a registered waste carrier. The council can request to see this documentation at any time, and a fixed penalty notice can be issued if documentation is absent or incomplete.

Householder waste duty of care

Householders are also legally required to check where their waste will be disposed of. We speak to a number of residents each year that have fallen foul of this requirement, where they have handed over waste to someone which has subsequently been fly tipped and the householder details found amongst the waste. As a householder you must ask the person you are passing your waste to where they intend to dispose of it, and ask to see their waste carriers licence. If they don't have one, don't use them. Rogue traders operate in our districts and if the price to remove waste seems too good to be true, it is likely to end up being fly tipped and you could be held liable for a fixed penalty notice or even prosecution. 

Fly-tipping and littering offences

Fly-tipping is the term given to any waste that has been dumped on land without permission. Littering is a separate offence usually involving a single item. Both are criminal offences which may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution against the person responsible.

We will investigate cases where someone has witnessed an incident, or where there is evidence to suggest where the waste has come from, or who has dumped it.

We will remove waste that has been fly-tipped or littered on the public highway or land we own. We consider anything smaller than a black sack of waste to be litter and anything larger to be fly-tipping.

We cannot remove waste that has been dumped on private land; this is the responsibility of the land owner. We will however investigate these incidents and take enforcement action where possible.

Please report offences of fly-tipping or littering to us on the links below, providing as much detail as you can giving the exact location, contents of the waste and how much there is.

Report a fly-tip

Request a street clean as a result of littering

Please use the following links to request a street cleanse where there is litter present:

Report littering within the Broadland area
Report littering within the South Norfolk area
If you are unsure which district you fall under, please check your local council before submitting the form above.