Fly-tippers in Hackney fined £117,000 last year as council reveals true cost of illegal dumping
Why we're ramping up enforcement against fly-tippers
Hackney Council is cracking down on fly-tipping, with illegally dumped waste costing millions and clogging up street-cleaning teams.
Fly-tipping, the illegal dumping of waste, is a criminal offence and can result in fines of up to £50,000 if prosecuted. During 2024/25, the council responded to 28,779 fly-tipping incidents, collecting 10,492 tonnes of illegally dumped waste.
The cost of clearing and disposing of this material over the course of the year was £2 million.
To tackle this, over the past year the council has issued 3,000 financial penalties and formal enforcement notices to residents and businesses for fly-tipping, which equates to nearly 60 per week. Businesses have been prosecuted for poor waste practices, resulting in £35,000 in fines and an additional £5,000 recovered to cover fly-tipping clean-up costs.
Richard Moore, Environmental Team Leader at Hackney Council, said the scale of the problem is increasingly affecting the services residents rely on.
“Our teams work really hard to keep the streets tidy but this level of fly-tipping is a real challenge to deal with. At the moment crews are doing three to four loads a day.”
The delay in collection means the dumped waste remains on the streets for longer, which unfortunately encourages further illegal dumping.
Cllr Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, said residents’ support is essential to tackling the issue.
“We love Hackney and our residents deserve a clean and tidy borough. Our teams remove fly-tipping every day, but every penny we spend tackling illegally dumped rubbish could be invested in our borough and used to support families who need it.
“Fly-tipping is an issue across the capital and in Hackney we're doing something about it.
“That means making those who selfishly dump waste in the streets pay the penalty, and sending a clear message to all residents and businesses to do the right thing or face tough action.”
The council’s Behaviour Change Team continues to take strong enforcement action while also working with residents and businesses to improve waste practices.
This team works closely with the council’s CCTV operators, who actively identify fly-tipping incidents and refer footage for enforcement action. As this partnership has developed, both teams have become increasingly aligned, leading to 126 CCTV referrals being acted upon over the past year.
Hackney Council is reminding residents to use the bulky waste collection service for large household items, to ensure businesses are signed up to authorised commercial waste contracts, and for builders and house-clearance operators to use licensed waste transfer stations.
Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping is urged to report it, helping the council take action and keep Hackney clean for everyone.
Information and advice on the range of waste, recycling and reuse services offered by the Council and other organisations is available on the Council's website.