14 October 2026

A new campaign has launched to help residents dispose of unwanted items responsibly and reduce fly-tipping across South Cambridgeshire.

The District Council’s “Your Waste, Your Responsibility” campaign reminds residents they have a duty of care to ensure their waste is passed to a properly licensed, registered waste carrier to dispose of. Since the start of 2024/25, the Council has received more than 3,800 reports of fly-tipping in South Cambridgeshire.

By launching the campaign during Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight, the Council is supporting Keep Britain Tidy's drive to tackle fly-tipping by encouraging people to check before handing their waste to unregistered 'white van' operators.

A simple slogan at the heart of the campaign – Check it. Trust it. Prove it. – highlights the important role residents can play in preventing waste from ending up in the countryside, villages and public spaces by ensuring anyone they pay to remove waste is legally authorised to do so.

• Check that you are using a licensed waste carrier, via the Environment Agency waste carrier register.
• Trust that you are handing over your waste to be responsibly disposed of.
• Prove it by keeping the receipt or waste transfer document.

Many people believe they are doing the right thing when they pay someone to take away unwanted furniture, household items or garden waste – with appeals for people to remove household waste common on local Facebook groups. However, if that person is not a licensed waste carrier, there is a risk the waste could be illegally dumped elsewhere, contributing to fly-tipping incidents that blight local communities and the environment.

Residents who use an unlicensed waste carrier can be held responsible if their waste is later found fly-tipped and can be traced back to them, potentially resulting in a Fixed Penalty Notice. Failing to check your waste is being handled legally can be costly, with fines of up to £600 for breaching your household waste duty of care, and a further £300 for failing to produce a Waste Transfer Note. Since the start of 2024/25, the Council has fined or prosecuted almost 70 people for fly-tipping.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, said:

"We hate fly-tipping just as much as residents do. It is a national problem - and we’re determined to do something about it in South Cambridgeshire. Most residents want to do the right thing when disposing of unwanted items, but unfortunately some unlicensed operators take advantage of this. By taking a few simple checks before handing over your waste, you can help protect our countryside and local communities from fly-tipping.

"We want residents to know that there are several safe, legal and responsible ways to dispose of unwanted items, whether that's using a licensed waste carrier, booking a bulky waste collection, taking items to a recycling centre, donating them to charity, or finding them a new home through local selling and reuse sites."

The campaign will target local social media groups, where residents often seek waste collection services, reminding people of their responsibilities and encouraging them to:

• Check that anyone collecting waste on their behalf is a licensed waste carrier and obtain a receipt of the transaction.
• Use the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service bulky waste collection service for large household items.
• Take suitable items to a local Household Recycling Centre.
• Donate good-quality items to charity.
• Reuse items by selling or giving them away through local community groups and online marketplaces.

The District Council recently took action at a bring bank site in Cambourne after ongoing issues with fly-tipping, fining 24 people for leaving unwanted items beside charity clothing banks. Leaving items outside donation banks can create litter, attract additional waste dumping and result in charities having to dispose of damaged goods at their own expense.

Fly-tipping can have significant impacts on local communities, wildlife and the environment, while also costing taxpayers money to clear up.

Residents can find out more about responsible waste disposal, bulky waste collections and recycling options by visiting the District Council’s designated campaign webpage.