Fly-tipping and keeping streets clean

We will:

• aim to clear it within 24 hours of when you reported it, except as outlined below
• investigate who left it, with a view to taking action against them

The clearance of hazardous waste clearance such as asbestos may take longer as we will need to refer these to a specialist contractor. Very large fly tips may also require the use of a specialised vehicle and so also may take longer to clear as a result.

If you need to escalate a fly tipping report, please email the Council’s Recycling Team (recyclingteam@walthamforest.gov.uk) quoting the REQ number of your report.

You can report fly-tipping using our online form. 

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. This includes items such as:

• black rubbish sacks left on the street on non-collection days
• mattresses
• tyres
• sofas
• 'white goods' (such as fridges and washing machines)
• carpet
• commercial waste such as builder's waste

We can issue fly-tippers with a fixed penalty notice of £550 if paid with in 2 weeks of being issued or £750 if paid after the 2 weeks.

Alternatively, we can prosecute. If convicted, the person can be issued with unlimited fines and a custodial sentence of up to 3 years.

There's lots of free places to get rid of too much rubbish or rubbish that's too big for your bin.

• households can have large items of waste collected for free
• you can drop it in a local waste and recycling centre
• arrange a hazardous waste collection for asbestos

If the rubbish is on private land, it's the responsibility of the owner or occupier to have it cleared.

If they don't do this, then we can serve them with a legal notice to ensure it happens.