Fly-tipping

If you are a householder, you must ensure that all your household waste is properly disposed of. This applies to all domestic properties, caravans and residential homes.

As a householder you must take reasonable steps to check that anyone you use to remove waste from your property is authorised to do so.

Don't use unlicensed waste carriers. If you do, you are breaking the law too and you can be prosecuted if your waste is found fly-tipped and traced back to your address.

Steps you should take to comply with your duty of care

Ask any waste carrier to:

• Provide you with their full address and telephone number
• Show you their waste carrier licence (if they don't have one, don't use them)
• Tell you where your waste will be taken to (it must be a licensed waste disposal site).

We also recommend that you carry out a free instant Waste Carrier Validation Check. You can do this free of charge via the Environment Agency.

• Check online at the Environment Agency website

• Fly-tippers can face fines of up to £50,000 and a prison sentence.
• Vehicles used to commit offences can be seized and crushed.
• If you don't comply with your duty of care you can be fined a maximum of £5,000 on conviction in a magistrates court, or face an unlimited fine if convicted in a crown court.

Fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping can be paid online:

• Pay a fly-tipping fixed penalty notice
• Pay a householder duty of care fixed penalty notice

A fly-tipping emergency

A fly-tipping emergency is when dumped rubbish includes:

• Chemical or fuel spill and oil drums
• Medical waste
• Animal carcass
• Asbestos

Do not touch the hazardous dumped rubbish and phone us straight away.

• Phone 0161 253 5353 between 8.45am and 5pm (Monday to Friday) or 0161 253 6606 outside of these times.

Report non-hazardous fly-tipping online to tell us:

• Where the fly-tipping has been left
• What type of rubbish it is and how much
• About the people that dumped the waste (if you witnessed the fly-tipping as it happened).

Report fly-tipping

We aim to clear rubbish from areas we maintain within ten working days. It may take longer depending on the type of waste as we may need to use a specialist contractor or prioritise which waste we clear first.

We are not responsible for removing rubbish from these areas, but our enforcement officers may be able to take action against the person who has dumped the waste or the landowner or business to remove the rubbish. In the case of unadopted back streets, occupiers are responsible for keeping the street clean and should use their waste bins and not put out loose rubbish. If waste is left in unadopted streets, the council can clean the street. The cost of removing the rubbish will have to be shared between relevant occupiers of properties next to or using the street.

We do not clear rubbish from these areas. We will send a copy of your report to the relevant authority.