Fly-tipping is rubbish or items that are illegally left on land without the owner's permission
It can include large items like white goods, furniture, garden waste, commercial builder waste, litter and any refuse that householders can’t fit in the household waste bins.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence. Those caught fly-tipping can be prosecuted and could face a fixed penalty notice of £150 to £400 for small-scale offences or up to £500 for larger incidents.
In a year*, we spent approximately £108,000 on clearing fly-tipped items from PCH neighbourhoods, blocks and bin stores. On average, that’s 96 hours a month spent clearing 19 tonnes of rubbish. Here is how the money could have been spent to further support residents:
- provide 14,232 Learn for Free qualifications, courses and grants
- install 108 picnic benches for community spaces
- run 1000 local community activities/events for residents and families
- support 360 community initiatives through our community grant scheme
- provide 11,368 vegetable bags from Tamar Grow Local, delivered to residents through Grow Share Cook Project
It’s also time that our neighbourhood rangers could have spent maintaining our estates and blocks.
Help us keep your neighbourhoods clean and tidy, and dispose of your unwanted items properly.
*Based on figures from January 2025 to December 2025
What items can I put in my household waste bin?
Your domestic bin, typically the brown bin, or communal waste bin should be used for disposing of household waste including food, nappies, shiny gift wrap and soft plastics.
If you have larger items that won’t fit in this bin, you’ll need to arrange for their disposal. Placing the items next to the bin is considered fly-tipping.
You can find more information here about what you should put in your domestic or recycling bin.
How can I dispose of larger items?
There are lots of options for the disposal of larger items that won’t fit in the household waste bin:
- Book a bulky waste collection for larger household items that will not fit in your bin. This can be booked through your local council, including Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council and South Hams District Council.
- Take your waste to a recycling centre. There are two in Plymouth: Chelson Meadow and Weston Mill. There are also recycling centres in Cornwall and the South Hams.
- Sell your items online using Facebook Marketplace and eBay which is free for private sellers to use, or Nextdoor and GumTree.
- Donate your items to charity. St Luke’s Hospice and the British Heart Foundation run a furniture collection service for good condition items.
- Book with a reputable disposal company. Be wary of scammers who may charge for the removal of waste and then fly-tip it. If the company you use fly-tips your rubbish, the items could be traced back to you and you would have to pay for the removal.
Fly-tipping in blocks
You must keep communal areas such as landings, foyers, stairwells and walkways free of obstacles, including fly-tipped items.
Waste and items left in these areas could pose a fire risk by:
- Slowing people down from being able to escape, especially if they are disabled, have poor eyesight or there is smoke which will cause visibility to be reduced. This could cost lives.
- Catching fire and emitting smoke, which could be toxic.
- Stopping firefighters from being able to move around safely to deal with emergencies or rescue.
As a tenant, you must ensure that fire escape routes are kept safe as part of your tenancy agreement.
Report fly-tipping
If you see fly-tipping in your neighbourhood on PCH land, you can report it to us using the form below.
If the fly-tipping isn’t on PCH property or you don’t know who owns the land, please report it to your local council:
Please also report anyone you see fly-tipping to the local council enforcement team in your local authority.
As well as breaking the law, committing an offence and potentially breaching their tenancy agreement or lease, they’re also making the area where you live look unsightly and spoiling the quality of life for local residents.
Report fly-tipping
Use the map to mark the location of the fly-tipping and then complete the form below. Any supporting photographic evidence can also be uploaded.
