Whether you’ve got some rubbish you need to get rid of or you’ve seen some left on the side of a road in your area, you might be wondering what the consequences are for fly-tipping.

Some people decide to dump rubbish on residential streets and down alleyways but can you get fined for it?

Here’s what we know about fly-tipping and what happens if you get caught doing it.

What is fly-tipping?

The Keep Britain Tidy website explains that fly-tipping is the “‘illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it’”.

@amandapohlmanteam I wanted to share another #BritishBanter video with everyone 🇬🇧  Realtors - how many of your have been guilty of fly-tipping? 🤔  In the UK it’s illegal to leave mattresses, couches and other pieces of furniture on the side of the road 🚫 #clevelandrealtor #poweredbyplace #kellerwilliamsliving #realestate #wealthbuilding #realtor #mortgage #shakerheights #cleveland #medinarealtor #cuyahogacounty ♬ original sound - Amanda Pohlman Team

Can you be fined for fly-tipping if you get caught?

While some people might dump a mattress or put full bin bags and electricals out on the streets, others may choose to tip “several truckloads of construction and demolition waste” onto land, Keep Britain Tidy explains.

It is a criminal offence to take part in fly-tipping and those responsible can be prosecuted.

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Imprisonment and unlimited fines are among the punishments plus courts can put an order in place which deprives a person of the rights to a vehicle that was used for fly-tipping.

Keep Britain Tidy adds: “Uncontrolled illegal waste disposal can be hazardous to the public, especially if it contains toxic material or asbestos. There could be a risk of damage to watercourses and soil quality from the dumped waste.

“In 2016/17 more than one million incidences of fly-tipping were dealt with by councils in England. The estimated cost of clearing up this waste was over £58 million.”