Sefton warns residents about rogue waste traders during campaign

Sefton Council is teaming up with Keep Britain Tidy for ‘Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight’, a campaign warning residents about criminal waste traders. 

The rogue collectors use convincing, professional-looking online ads to pose as legitimate businesses - only to illegally dump the rubbish they are paid to take away. 

Fly-tipping costs councils across England millions of pounds every year in clean-up costs, draining money that could otherwise be spent on essential local services.  

In Sefton, the Council cleared 3,709 fly-tipping incidents in the last financial year. While this was 400 fewer incidents than the previous year, it still cost local taxpayers around £369,000 to clean up. That money could otherwise have been invested in community priorities such as new playground equipment, enhanced park maintenance and further improvements to the borough's environment. 

The council has increased fly-tip penalties to a maximum £1,000 and issued almost 100 fines, or Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), so far in 2026 – almost a fivefold rise on the same period last year. 

The campaign calls on people in Sefton to protect themselves and their communities from falling for a #RubbishDeal - low-cost, unlicensed services offered using appealing ads on social media by organised waste criminals. Rogue waste traders hide in plain sight behind professional-looking adverts, ‘five-star’ reviews and tempting prices, making it difficult to tell them apart from legitimate operators. What they don’t tell you is where your rubbish could end up. 

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight is helping residents know what to look out for and make simple checks before handing over their rubbish to avoid it being illegally dumped on streets, fields and public spaces. 

Sefton is supporting the Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight by calling on households to take three simple steps to avoid a #RubbishDeal: 

• Ask for a waste carrier licence 

• Check the number on the Environment Agency’s public register at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call 0300 065 3000) 

• Check you’ll get a receipt 

Cllr Peter Harvey, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Street Scene, said:
“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, damaging neighbourhoods, harming the environment and costing taxpayers money. Every day, our Waste Management, Street Cleansing and Environmental Enforcement teams deal with everything from dumped furniture and mattresses to medical waste and personal documents left in our streets, alleys and green spaces. 

“That is why the Council has invested an additional £1.5 million into creating cleaner streets across Sefton and has tripled the size of its Environmental Enforcement Team. Working alongside our Waste Management and Street Cleansing teams, they are helping to investigate fly-tipping and take action by fining offenders.   

“Although we are seeing some excellent results, we cannot tackle this problem alone. Rogue waste collectors are making money by taking rubbish away and then dumping it illegally elsewhere. We are urging residents to protect themselves by making three simple checks before handing over their waste: ask to see a waste carrier licence, check it on the Environment Agency register and always get a receipt. 

“By taking these simple steps, residents can help stop fly-tipping at its source and support our efforts to create cleaner, greener streets for everyone.” 

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Local authorities see first-hand the damage fly-tipping causes, working every day to clear illegally dumped waste and protect the places their communities value. Tackling the problem places huge demands on already stretched council teams, which is why we’re so pleased to have Sefton supporting Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight this year.” 

“People hiring someone to take away their rubbish should be able to trust that it will be disposed of responsibly. But rogue waste traders are exploiting that trust, taking people’s money and then leaving their waste dumped in streets, fields and public spaces for communities and councils to deal with. 

“What makes this particularly difficult is that criminals can be surprisingly hard to spot. A convincing advert, good reviews and a cheap price can make an illegal operator look like a legitimate business, leaving people thinking they’re paying for their rubbish to be responsibly taken away when it could end up dumped in their own community. 

“Our message is simple: don’t fall for a #RubbishDeal. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” 

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight will run from 12th – 25th October 2026, with local authorities across the country joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to highlight the scale and impact of fly-tipping and educate residents on how to protect themselves and their communities. 

To report fly–tipping incidents, visit Fly-Tipping to use My Services Portal.