Fly-tipping

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is a serious environmental crime. It is also an eyesore that can cause harm to wildlife, pets and livestock. It scars our landscapes, clogs drains and pollutes the environment costing the Councils, farmers and private land owners across Tayside thousands to clear up every year. 

Perth & Kinross Council investigates every report of fly-tipping that we receive, and we prosecute significant cases of flytipping in court whenever we can.

We also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices of £500 for smaller cases.

We would encourage members of the public to report fly-tipping to the Council so cases can be investigated.

Report fly-tipping

Report fly-tipping

We will need information about the location of the fly-tipped waste, the type of waste, and the date it was first observed. 

Alternatively, you can contact the Customer Service Centre on 01738 476476 or email our Waste Enforcement Team at WasteEnforcement@pkc.gov.uk.

You can report cases anonymously if you wish to.

How to dispose of waste responsibly

If you have waste or unwanted items that don't fit in your kerbside bin, here are your options:

• If your items are still in a good reusable conditions, then why not donate them to a local reuse organisation or list them on a selling site such as Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree - you might even make yourself some money! Visit our reuse pages for more information
• Get rid of your household waste for free at your local Recycling Centre
• For a fee, you can arrange a Special Collection for bulky items 
• If you are a business or organisation looking to dispose of waste or recycling at a Recycling Centre, you are required to register for a Commercial Waste Permit. If you are interested in the services and support we can offer your business, our Commercial Waste and Recycling Team will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Using private contractors to uplift your waste

Private contractors also offer collection services. They may look professional and legitimate, but this is not always the case.

Rogue operators advertising their services online often dispose of the waste they collect through flytipping - and you could end up paying the fine.  There are several telltale signs that the business you are thinking of hiring may not be legitimate. You should be wary of online adverts that:

• Offer cheap or same day waste collection - if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Make sure you're not pressured to decide.
• Claim to be "SEPA insured" - SEPA does not provide insurance.
• Don't provide any way to contact them other than direct messaging online. 

Please make sure you check the following with any contractor before handing over your waste:

• They are registered with SEPA as a Waste Carrier.  You can check yourself by looking up the SEPA Register of Waste Carriers.
• Ask to see your waste carrier's certificate of registration or a certified copy of it, which will show when their registration expires.
• Always ask for a receipt showing what was collected, the date and where your waste is going so if items get dumped you can prove it wasn't you that did it.

Any reputable contractor will have no problem providing this information. If they cannot provide this, do not allow them to take your waste. Remember, services that sound too good to be true often are, and can lead to your waste being illegally fly-tipped or disposed of by other illegitimate means. If your waste is illegally dumped by someone you could end up with a £500 fine or even a criminal record. 

Your obligations and responsibilities for your household waste are set out on the Scottish Government website.