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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand why fly tipping is happening on such a large scale?

176 replies

mumofoneAloneandwell · 25/02/2026 18:58

If you have a car, surely you can just go to the dump? I mean, it's free 🤷‍♀️

Why is flytipping on an industrial scale happening, what has changed to cause this to happen? Have industrial sites been shut down?

Genuinely don't get it, just seen it on the news

OP posts:
Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 13:20

BertieBotts · 25/02/2026 20:33

I liked this too but they have stopped it in our area and now we have to pay €15 to book a collection Angry

£71vto have a bed collected in Colchester

plasbks · 26/02/2026 13:23

IAxolotlQuestions · 26/02/2026 12:33

Because the tips are terrible. I used to live somewhere with a proper, purpose built recycling centre. It was wonderful and took EVERYTHING. Including paint.

Now I live near one where I have to get an appointment, and they try to charge you extra for everything that isn't cardboard.

Typical - and a major reason why there is fly tipping. Cutting costs will just lead to increasing costs and problems with fly tipping. The workers at ours can't even agree where to put stuff. I asked a staff member on the way in where to put an item and he told me. i went and put it where he said and got shouted at by a different staff member. I hate going there as it's just really unpleasant, inconvenient and stressful, and i put everything possible into my wheely bin to avoid going.

suburburban · 26/02/2026 13:36

We have very good rubbish removal, a reasonable rubbish dump and a council who will collect stuff at a reasonable cost but it doesn’t stop fly tipping

BunfightBetty · 26/02/2026 13:43

suburburban · 26/02/2026 13:36

We have very good rubbish removal, a reasonable rubbish dump and a council who will collect stuff at a reasonable cost but it doesn’t stop fly tipping

I don’t know that you would ever get rid of it entirely - there are always going to be lazy, selfish people, unfortunately. Plus the people who are new and just don’t know how things are done, as pp said.

Bur the scale of it won’t be helped by councils making it way too difficult, time-consuming and expensive to dispose of waste properly.

I get they’re having to operate to very tight budgets, but desperation to save £10 now, even though they know that ‘saving’ will end up costing £50 in the future, isn’t actually a solution.

CastlesinSpain · 26/02/2026 13:55

Bring back bonfires! People make such a fuss if you have one these days 😉

Hatty65 · 26/02/2026 15:37

I'm rural and there is a huge amount of fly tipping, in lanes, in farmers' gateways etc. I don't condone it in the slightest, but I can understand why people do it to a certain extent.

The nearest tip is 30 miles away and is open 4 days a week. That means a 60 mile round trip in your car with a limited number of bags. No vans, no trailers allowed. The council gave us a really small bin. It's emptied fortnightly. If you want to get rid of something like a fridge or a sofa then it costs you money. People are skint. People are arseholes.

It's not surprising that a lot of people just dump shit wherever they can.

Ihavelostthegame · 26/02/2026 16:10

Ultimately people generally take the path of least resistance. If you make it easy for them to do the right thing. On balance the majority will do it. I
The harder you make something, the more barriers in place, more it costs etc, then the fewer people will do what you want.

What the councils are doing is short sighted and not remotely cost effective. Yep it might save a few pennies very short term but it is costing them a lot more now.

BunfightBetty · 26/02/2026 16:59

Ihavelostthegame · 26/02/2026 16:10

Ultimately people generally take the path of least resistance. If you make it easy for them to do the right thing. On balance the majority will do it. I
The harder you make something, the more barriers in place, more it costs etc, then the fewer people will do what you want.

What the councils are doing is short sighted and not remotely cost effective. Yep it might save a few pennies very short term but it is costing them a lot more now.

Absolutely spot on.

Unfortunately, though, our public policy makers tend to pay scant regard to basic human psychology when setting policies and procedures.

TurnipsAndParsnips · 26/02/2026 17:09

Idontspeakgermansorry · 25/02/2026 19:39

I like the system in Germany. They have a bulk trash day every 6 months, where you can put out furniture, electronics and hazardous materials, and they come and collect it.

Same in Hungary. It has quite a party atmosphere as everyone has a good poke around everyone else’s junk.

Beekman · 26/02/2026 17:24

TurnipsAndParsnips · 26/02/2026 17:09

Same in Hungary. It has quite a party atmosphere as everyone has a good poke around everyone else’s junk.

I was once in Budapest when this was happening, it was great fun! I had a good couple of days sitting on the balcony watching people poke through the stuff and then it was gone!

BorgQueen · 26/02/2026 18:05

Our council, in it’s wisdom, has stopped both free collection of bulky items for LA residents and paid collection, which used to be £30-50 for up to 3 things like sofas/beds for homeowners.
The LA flats where my Sister lives now looks like a landfill site, they removed the cctv when the flats had new roofs and never replaced the cameras.
I contacted a few waste firms on fb recently and asked to see their licence after they quoted very cheaply, none replied.
A skip now costs £200+ and there are very strict rules on what you can put in them - no plasterboard, paint cans, hard plastics like planters.
It’s all very well saying go to the tip,
not with a bloody big sofa or mattress you can’t.

Pinkfluffypencilcase · 26/02/2026 18:10

What’s the issue with plasterboard you think?

suburburban · 26/02/2026 18:22

BorgQueen · 26/02/2026 18:05

Our council, in it’s wisdom, has stopped both free collection of bulky items for LA residents and paid collection, which used to be £30-50 for up to 3 things like sofas/beds for homeowners.
The LA flats where my Sister lives now looks like a landfill site, they removed the cctv when the flats had new roofs and never replaced the cameras.
I contacted a few waste firms on fb recently and asked to see their licence after they quoted very cheaply, none replied.
A skip now costs £200+ and there are very strict rules on what you can put in them - no plasterboard, paint cans, hard plastics like planters.
It’s all very well saying go to the tip,
not with a bloody big sofa or mattress you can’t.

with a skip how do you stop other people dumping in it, I can bet that would happen where I live.

interesting they won’t take certain things

last time I used one was around 2005 and it cost £60 I think

GarlicBound · 26/02/2026 18:23

casapenguin · 25/02/2026 21:06

Oh yeah here we go - article published 15 hours ago

Investigators from a borough council in Kent are warning the public to be more aware of who is disposing of their waste amid concerns about organised criminal gang links to fly-tipping.
Gravesham Borough Council spent £90,000 clearing illegally dumped waste and raised 504 investigations in the financial year to March 2025.
Tim Harris, Gravesham's environmental enforcement manager, said there was evidence of a move towards environmental crime where he said "rewards are high, penalties are lower and there's a massive network involved".
"There's a huge amount of money to be made," he added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80jdvydzd5o

Edited

Maybe they should've spent £90,000 making the recycling centres fit for purpose.

Flamingojune · 26/02/2026 18:24

Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 13:20

£71vto have a bed collected in Colchester

Could u put it on freecycle or the like?

Blushingm · 26/02/2026 18:25

The dump here you have to make an appointment and often they’re booked up weeks in advance

We are limited to 3 bag bags every 3 weeks so often people exceed this

So a combination of a small allowance for waste and difficult getting a dump appointment

Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 19:24

Flamingojune · 26/02/2026 18:24

Could u put it on freecycle or the like?

It was disgusting so not any use to anyone ( left behind by previous tenant)

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/02/2026 19:27

I genuinely didnt think that there would be professional fly tippers!

This is a problem that could be resolved by the council cutting back on enforcement officers and using the money for extra binmen, surely

I feel for you who have had dumps close down, its so annoying! And a bin collection every 3 weeks is criminal!!

OP posts:
Meadowfinch · 26/02/2026 19:43

It's not that simple OP.

I live within 3 miles of a tip which I pass every day, only I'm not allowed to use it. My allocated tip is 17 miles away so a 34 mile round trip. If I want to go, I have to make an appt. I work full time so the only times I can go are Saturday & Sunday mornings. All the apps are booked for months. So effectively I don't have access to a tip unless I borrow the car & ID of someone who is allowed to use the local tip.
Plenty of people in the same situation would think that a reasonable excuse to fly tip.
I burn most of my excess cardboard but there are plenty on MN who think I shouldn't do that.

Teresavonlichenstein · 26/02/2026 19:47

mumofoneAloneandwell · 25/02/2026 18:58

If you have a car, surely you can just go to the dump? I mean, it's free 🤷‍♀️

Why is flytipping on an industrial scale happening, what has changed to cause this to happen? Have industrial sites been shut down?

Genuinely don't get it, just seen it on the news

The black bins here are emptied once every 3 weeks. The nearest tip is 15 miles away and it is only open 9-3 Friday Sat sun and you have a book a slot online to get in.

When we all moved in we ordered black bins (new estate) I ordered ours 6 weeks before we moved. Many people didn’t realise this and arrived to move in and no bins and the council saying it was a 6-8 week wait for bins. We discovered some fly tipping shortly afterwards and bagged it up and returned it (had address) on the person was a single parent with baby and no car - I can totally sympathise with 12 bags of rubbish why she fly tipped some. Wasn’t the right thing to do but could see why

junecat · 26/02/2026 19:51

They have closed three tips in our area. Everyone has to travel to another town that can’t cope with the increased numbers.

We now have to book a time slot and you have to wait weeks for a weekend slot.

Most people seem to be using ‘Man with a Van’ to take it away for them. Most of these aren’t licensed so just dump it in fields, forests lanes etc 😡😢

Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 19:55

mumofoneAloneandwell · 25/02/2026 18:58

If you have a car, surely you can just go to the dump? I mean, it's free 🤷‍♀️

Why is flytipping on an industrial scale happening, what has changed to cause this to happen? Have industrial sites been shut down?

Genuinely don't get it, just seen it on the news

Can you fit a king size bed and mattress in your car? And what. if you don't have a car

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/02/2026 19:59

Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 19:55

Can you fit a king size bed and mattress in your car? And what. if you don't have a car

To fly tip a mattress though requires a car

I didnt think that you can pay someone who would then fly tip, that's insane!

OP posts:
Sesma · 26/02/2026 20:25

We couldn't have easily got a king size mattress into our large car, you would need a van, fortunately JL took it so we didn't even have to take it downstairs, it was very heavy. We can generally get white goods and furniture in the car if we take it apart a bit.

Thechaseison71 · 26/02/2026 20:27

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/02/2026 19:59

To fly tip a mattress though requires a car

I didnt think that you can pay someone who would then fly tip, that's insane!

Of course you can I'm sure a lot of people pay waste collection services not knowing they will fly tip

Another king , if you book a bulky refuse collection with the council it can be taking 3 weeks for them to to collect. Yet if you leave it outside you are fly tipping.

What's the solution?

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