Hull City Council is teaming up with Keep Britain Tidy for ‘Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight’, a new campaign to crack down on rogue ‘white van’ operators.
Fly-tipping costs councils across England millions of pounds every year in clean-up costs, draining money that could otherwise be spent on essential local services.
In Hull, the council cleared up a total of 16,625 incidents in the past year, costing local taxpayers more than £486,000. This money could be used to support other essential council services.
As well as responding to reports made by the public, the council also proactively clears fly-tipping and looks to identify those responsible and to take enforcement action.
The campaign calls on people in Hull to protect themselves and their communities from falling for a #RubbishDeal – low-cost, unlicensed services offered on social media by organised waste criminals.
Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight aims to shine a spotlight on rogue operators, who lure people in with cheap deals, only to illegally dump household waste on streets, fields and public spaces.
If you’re hiring someone to take your rubbish away, take these three simple steps to avoid inviting a criminal into your home:
- Ask for a waste carrier registration number
- Check it on the Environment Agency’s public register or call 0300 065 3000
- Check you’ll get a receipt
Hull City Council is supporting Fly-Tipping Fortnight by amplifying the campaign across Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The council will also be improving environmental standards through their day-to-day work – keeping Hull clean and tidy by tackling waste proactively and responding quickly to reports.
The council’s work includes:
- Enforcement of environmental crime
- Rapid removal of fly-tipped waste, with a targeted approach to hotspot areas
- Public awareness campaigns to highlight the impact and consequences e.g. fight fly-tipping
- Social media campaigns to strengthen prevention and reporting and improve environmental standards
What residents can do to help:
- Report fly-tipping quickly via the Hull City Council website – www.hull.gov.uk/flytipping
- Dispose of waste responsibly using council services – www.hull.gov.uk/bulky
- Spread the word – let others know fly-tipping is illegal and unacceptable and the council will prosecute
Councillor Charles Quinn, portfolio holder for environment, said: “Fly-tipping has a real impact in Hull and is a deep source of frustration for our residents. Not only is it a blight on our local environment, with everything from refrigerators to asbestos dumped near schools, it costs taxpayers thousands in clean–up costs – money that could otherwise be spent on other essential council services.
“Our teams work tirelessly to tackle the problem, but we need our community’s help to stop it at the source. We’re asking people to check who they pay to take rubbish away. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is – and sadly it’s our residents and communities who ultimately pay the price.”
Dr. Anna Scott, Director of Services at Keep Britain Tidy, said “Councils are on the frontline of the fight against fly-tipping, responding day in, day out to clear dumped waste and keep our public spaces safe and clean. We know how much pressure this puts on already stretched local teams and we’re incredibly grateful to Hull City Council for joining forces with us for Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight.
“This campaign is about empowering residents to play their part in tackling this growing issue. By making simple checks before handing over waste and always getting a receipt, people can protect themselves from rogue traders, stop organised criminal networks in their tracks and help ensure public money is spent where it’s needed most.”
Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight will run from Monday 10 November until Sunday 23 November 2025, with local authorities across the country joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to highlight the scale and impact of fly-tipping, educate residents on how to protect themselves and their communities.
For more information about fly-tipping, or to report an incident, visit Fly-tipping | Hull or alternatively call 01482 300 300.
