Fly-tipping is illegal dumping of rubbish.
It is a serious offence and carries a large fine, or a prison sentence. It can cause environmental damage, can be dangerous and is costly to deal with.
Reporting fly tipping
If you see somebody in the act of fly-tipping you should call the police on 101. You should not approach them, they might become aggressive, don't put yourself at risk.
You should report fly-tipping straight away. We will investigate all reports.
Copeland
Email: enforcement@copeland.gov.uk
Telephone: 01946 598 300
Your responsibility
We all have a duty of care to ensure that our rubbish is passed on to a licensed waste carrier so that it can be disposed of safely.
Don't get someone else you don't know or trust to get rid of your waste, this includes "man in van" services which can be sourced via social media sites and WhatsApp.
If the waste is fly-tipped and we can trace it back you then you may be liable to receive a fixed-penalty for failing to ensure the correct disposal of your waste.
Take your waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre or get a bulky waste collection.
Our responsibility
We are responsible for clearing the waste from public land only.
If fly-tipping occurs on private land, report this to us, so that this can be investigated.
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency investigates major illegal fly-tipping incidents on public or private land. These include:
- Big: Large illegal waste sites (greater than 20 tonnes)
- Bad: Evidence of organised tipping or criminal business practice
- Nasty: Drummed hazardous waste
The Environment Agency only clears up waste where there is an immediate risk to the environment and human health. They are not funded to clean up all illegally dumped waste on private or public land.
More information on reporting hazardous or large waste can be found on GOV.UK