What is littering?

Litter can be anything from a crisp packet to a bag of rubbish. All litter is unsightly and causes untidiness. Common litter items include fast-food packaging, sweet wrappers, drinks cans, bottles and cigarette butts. Litter can take years to degrade, causing harm to the environment, and in particular to wildlife and habitats.

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of waste. It can cause pollution, harm to human health and can affect the amenity of the area. It undermines the system of environmental permitting and registration of waste carriers.

Fly-tipped waste can be inert or hazardous, liquid or solid and can vary in scale from a single bin bag to large quantities of waste dumped from vans or trucks. It is distinct from littering which involves smaller items of waste often associated with smoking, eating and drinking. Fly-tipping is often an organised activity, and can be part of larger illegal operations.

The causes of fly-tipping are varied, however the main reasons for organised illegal waste operations involve financial gain or financial saving,