Newham

Fly-tipping

Help us to keep Newham clean and tidy by correctly disposing of waste and telling us about dumped rubbish.
Fly-tipping is a crime

What is fly-tipping? 

Fly-tipping is illegally dumping your rubbish and waste. This can be next to a public bin, a street corner, any public street, alleyway, grass verge or public land. 

This can include: 
  • ​​black bin bags 
  • items of furniture
  • a mattress
  • DIY material.

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Dumping waste is a crime

Dumping any waste is a criminal offence and you can be issued a £400 fixed penalty notice on the spot. We can issue fines and/or imprisonment for those convicted of the offence.

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Bulky waste collections 

In February 2019, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and her Cabinet agreed to reintroduce the council’s free bulky waste collection service. This is for when you have large unwanted items that will not fit into your bin, such as furniture and fridges.

This service is for household items only. We offer a commercial waste service​ for businesses in Newham.

How it work

  • If you’re a Newham resident you can have your bulky waste collected three times a year for free - the year will run from April  – March.
  • We’ll take up to six items per collection.
  • After the third free collection the charge will be £20 and will be for up to six items. 

If you have just moved into your property and have not used your three free bulky waste collections but you’re having problems, please call us on 020 8430 2000, press option 4 and ask for bulky waste. Our customer services team will be able to help you book a free bulky waste collection online.

​Book a bulky waste collection
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Make sure your rubbish is not fly-tipped

If you use a clearance company to get rid of your rubbish, check they are a registered waste carrier.

If the company illegally dumps your rubbish, you could be held responsible and prosecuted.

Where can items be left legally? 

There are organisations and charities in and around Newham who may be able to collect usable items for free, such as HomeStore and Reclaim @ The Lane.  

You can get rid of some items free of charge at the Jenkins Lane Re-use and Recycling Centre which is sometimes called ‘the tip’. If you think your items could be used by someone else, speak to a member of staff at Jenkins Lane. They will direct you to a special container for re-usable items.

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Report fly-tipping

 
If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can also report fly-tipping when you see it using our Love Newham app.
 


You don't have to give your details, but if you use your My Newham account to tell us about the problem, you will be able to track our progress.



 

What hap​pens next?

We aim to clear fly-tips on publicly owned roads and paths within 24 hours. Sometimes there can be a delay while we run checks to find out who owns the land.

We are not responsible for clearing fly-tips on private land.

If there is evidence or a witness for a case of fly-tipping on either public or private land, we can investigate and prosecute all offenders caught.
 

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Fly-tipping on private land

It is the responsibility of the land owner(s) to clear fly-tipping on private land.

We can help to clear the rubbish, but we charge for this service.
 
If you are a landowner, you must make sure that the area is as secure as possible.

 
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Reporting fly-tippers

If you see someone dumping rubbish illegally you can report them to Newham via our anti-social behaviour form.

Be aware that fly-tippers are doing something illegal and they don’t want to get caught. Please don’t approach them or go near the rubbish until it’s safe. 

You don't have to give your details, but if you use your My Newham account to tell us about the problem, you will be able to track our progress.


Information that would be helpful for us to identify the individual and successfully issue a fine would include:
  • ​date, time and location of the rubbish 
  • a photo of the rubbish which allows us to see where it is and the time and date it was taken
  • if the dumped rubbish clearly shows someone’s address, take a photo of this with additional photos which show what the waste is and where it was left 
  • a registration number and a description of the vehicle if someone dumps rubbish from a car or van
  • a description of the person dumping the rubbish and photographic or CCTV evidence if you are able to capture it safely
  • where the individual has come from and where they went to i.e. an address or the direction
  • in some circumstance it may be helpful if you’re able to provide a witness statement but this is quite rare. 

 
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Fines and prosecutions

Between April 2016 to March 2017, our enforcement teams handed out 230 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN), seized 8 vehicles and had 19 successful prosecutions for fly-tipping. £17,215 was collected from the fines following the prosecutions. 

The following year April 2017 to March 2018, 486 FPN’s were issued, 23 vehicles were seized and 25 prosecutions took place for fly-tipping. £42,659 was collected from the fines following the prosecutions. 

 
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What we are doing to reduce fly-tipping

We are working on ways to reduce the number of people illegally dumping rubbish in our borough. We have been working with Keep Britain Tidy who have been researching the issue. A residents’ workshop was held in October 2018, which resulted in a number of solutions. The report from the workshop can be found here and video footage can be found on our Facebook page. 

We will be working closely with Keep Britain Tidy to test out a number of ways we can combat fly-tipping. We are also working with the London Environment Directors Network, known as LEDNET​, to look at ways in which we can work together to further tackle fly-tipping. 

The workshop in October was the start of a new fly-tipping strategy for Newham. We will be feeding back to residents via the website and social media on the outcomes of what we are trailing and we will be building on the our present solutions. 

 
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What we know about fly-tipping 

​We have fly-tipping data for Newham and England which we will update throughout the year. 
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Report

Contact us

  • Crime and anti-social behaviour hotline

    020 8430 2000