Litter and Fly-tipping - The Basics

Litter and fly-tipping can be anything from a dropped cigarette butt, the kind of litter that was found in the most places around our borough, to sweet wrappers, drinks bottles and cans, to takeaway packaging thrown out of car windows to larger items like building waste or old furniture dumped in alleys or in our green spaces.

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste where it shouldn’t be. This could be bags of rubbish, builder’s waste, mattresses, or liquids dumped in watercourses. Even waste left next to a public bin or household bin is fly-tipping.

An individual can also be held responsible for fly-tipped waste if they do not ensure they dispose of it responsibly.

To get rid of waste responsibly and legally, you can:

If someone knocks on the door offering to take your rubbish for a price that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Unless they can show that they are a licensed waste carrier, do not give them your rubbish as if it is found fly-tipped, you can be fined too. 

For more information, you can visit our Fly tipping webpage.

If you require a replacement or an additional bin, visit our Bin Replacement page for more information.

© Wigan Council