Your business, your waste, your responsibility.

40% of fly-tipping in the UK comes from business waste.

Fly-tipping has become one of the UK’s most costly and environmentally damaging crimes. English councils dealt with more than 1.15 million incidents in 2023–24—a figure that continues to rise.

For Bristol, the problem is even more acute. More than 10,000 fly‑tipping incidents were cleared locally in 2024, costing taxpayers just under £1 million—money that should have gone toward essential public services like schools, libraries, parks, and social care.

Across the UK, businesses play a crucial role in preventing this growing issue. Choosing the wrong waste carrier, especially cheap and unlicensed operators, can directly contribute to illegal dumping and expose your business to legal and financial penalties.

The hidden dangers of “cheap” business waste removal

Keep Britain Tidy’s research shows two in five (40%) fly‑tipping incidents are now caused by rogue waste carriers—often “white van” operators offering “too good to be true” deals online.

Unlicensed operators will take your money, then dump your waste illegally in streets, lanes, or lay‑bys—meaning what seemed like a bargain was actually a #rubbishdeal.

This isn’t just unethical—it places legal responsibility back on the business.

Under UK law, your business is liable for how your waste is disposed of, even if someone else is transporting it. Penalties can include:

• Unlimited fines
• Criminal convictions
• Clean‑up charges
• Damage to business reputation

In Bristol, fines for illegal dumping can reach up to £50,000.

 

The statistics

The latest figures from the government show that in 2023/24:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-statistics-for-england/fly-tipping-statistics-for-england-2023-to-2024

• Local authorities in England dealt with 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents, an increase of 6% from the prior year.
• 40% of incidents were business waste fly tipping
• The number of fixed penalties was 63,000
• The average court fine was £526

 

The impact of business waste fly-tipping on your business

Using an unlicensed or ‘cheap’ waste carrier doesn’t just risk contributing to Bristol’s fly-tipping problem, it can expose your business to serious consequences.

Under UK law, businesses are fully accountable for how their waste is disposed of, even if a third party handles the transport; you remain legally responsible if that business waste is fly-tipped.

If your business waste is traced back to your business, you may have to pay:

• Clean-up and landfill charges
• Investigation and enforcement costs
• Increased insurance premiums
• Losses from operational downtime during investigations
• Severe reputational damage

What your business should do

Here are the essential steps every business must take:

1. Always check the waste carrier’s licence

• • Use the Environment Agency’s public register to ensure the carrier is legally permitted to take waste.
  • If you take your own waste to a disposal site yourself, make sure that your business is registered as a waste carrier.

2. Ask where your waste is going

• • Licensed carriers can name the facility and provide transfer notes. The closer the facility, the less mileage and carbon your waste carrier is going to produce.

3. Keep a full paper trail

• • All licensed carriers, including Bristol Waste, should provide you with a Duty of Care certificate to help your business stay compliant – you should keep these documents for a minimum of two years.

4. Be wary of suspiciously low quotes

• • Responsible disposal has real costs, and all waste carriers have to pay for this, so if the price seems too low, it almost certainly comes with legal risks.

 

If you find fly-tipping

Whether you find fly-tipping on your business’s premises or elsewhere, always report it to your local authority as well as the Environment Agency.

Make sure you record:

• Date, time and place of the fly-tipping
• What the waste looks like and how much there is
• Description of the person(s) and/or vehicles involved, along with the registration number

Do not approach fly-tippers or put your own safety at risk.

Don’t fall for a #rubbishdeal

Your business’s waste is your responsibility. Choosing a trusted, licensed provider is the simplest, most effective way to protect your reputation, your community, and Bristol.