Councils are being urged to join forces to tackle the growing scourge of fly-tipping, with Keep Britain Tidy launching a new national campaign — Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight — to help local authorities crack down on rogue waste operators and raise public awareness. Speaking to LocalGov, Dr Anna Scott said the initiative aims to empower councils and communities alike to take coordinated action against waste crime.

Fly-tipping is a persistent blight on communities – and it’s getting worse. The latest government figures show that English councils dealt with over 1.15 million incidents last year, costing taxpayers tens of millions in clean-up bills.

According to Keep Britain Tidy, 70% of local authorities now class fly-tipping as a major problem. To help reverse that trend, the charity has launched a national awareness initiative – the Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight, running from 10 to 23 November.

Dr Anna Scott, Director of Services at Keep Britain Tidy, told LocalGov the campaign aims to ‘shine a spotlight on this issue’ while empowering both councils and the public to take action. ‘We know it’s getting worse for local authorities, we know it’s getting worse for communities,’ she said. ‘We want to galvanise local authorities to work together and help the public understand their responsibilities.’

A free national campaign for councils

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight is free for councils that are members of the Keep Britain Tidy Network. Membership provides access to the campaign toolkit, which includes:

• A template press release for local media.

• Social media banners and graphics showcasing the campaign branding.

• Six social posts – a mix of videos and static images – to use across the fortnight.

Scott says the campaign has been deliberately designed for councils with limited communications capacity. ‘Everything is there for councils to use. They can copy and paste, or tailor it with their own data – for example, the cost of fly-tipping locally,’ she explained.

At the time of the interview, 66 local authorities had already signed up to take part.

Reaching the hard-to-reach

Keep Britain Tidy will lead national communications, engaging the press and pushing social content through its own channels. Councils will amplify that locally, creating a unified national message.

But the charity is also experimenting with new ways to extend reach. For the first time, it will offer participating authorities the option of postcode-targeted social media ads, run by Keep Britain Tidy on their behalf. These can include local branding and are designed to reach residents who may not follow council channels.

Another innovation is the use of volunteer networks. The charity has links with more than 4,000 volunteers – including litter-picking groups and groups that manage Green Flag Community Award sites – who have been asked to share campaign messages through community WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and other local networks.

‘This is the first time we’ve involved volunteers in a national digital campaign,’Scott said. ‘They’re passionate about tackling fly-tipping and can reach communities that council communications teams might struggle to.’

Tackling rogue traders

This year’s campaign focuses squarely on rogue waste operators – those who offer to collect waste cheaply and then dump it illegally. Scott calls them ‘waste criminals’ who not only damage the environment but also undermine legitimate businesses.

The campaign’s launch video shows real examples of this behaviour in action. ‘These are the people who say they’ll take your waste away for a price, then fly-tip it down the road or in someone else’s community,’ she said.

By urging residents to check who they pay to remove waste, the campaign builds on earlier local initiatives but gives them a unified national platform.

Measuring impact

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight is primarily an awareness-raising campaign but Keep Britain Tidy will be collecting data from councils on the reach and engagement of posts and press coverage.

‘We’ll ask councils to report back on message reach, shares, and any evidence of behaviour change – such as increased web visits or reporting,’ said Scott. ‘Even small shifts in awareness can make a difference.’

The charity also welcomes feedback on whether councils notice any changes in incident reporting or enforcement during the fortnight.

Working together regionally

Scott says regional collaboration can help councils stretch limited budgets further. ‘Some authorities already work in partnerships, and we’re supporting them to take part collectively,’ she explained. ‘By coordinating campaigns, councils can amplify messages and make resources go further.’

Beyond awareness – a call for stronger policy

Alongside the campaign, Keep Britain Tidy has developed an updated Fly-tipping Action Plan, informed by engagement with over 80 local authorities and a survey of 4,000 members of the public.

The plan calls for:

• Smarter prevention – including a tougher, tamper-proof permitting system for waste carriers and a user-friendly public register of legitimate operators.

• A circular approach – such as a mandatory take-back scheme for bulky items like furniture and white goods, reducing illegal dumping.

• Improved data-sharing between councils and enforcement bodies to help identify waste criminals.

• Stronger penalties – ensuring court fines are at least equal to fixed-penalty notices and making vehicle seizure simpler.

‘Only a small proportion of fly-tips result in enforcement action,’ Scott said. ‘That’s why prevention is key – stopping waste being dumped in the first place.’

A shared challenge

Keep Britain Tidy hopes the campaign will become an annual fixture and a model for national-local collaboration. ‘Fly-tipping is a universal issue,’Scott said. ‘By aligning local voices and national messaging, we can raise awareness, support enforcement, and make it harder for rogue traders to operate.’

For councils, she adds, the opportunity is clear: a ready-made, high-impact campaign that costs little but can deliver big returns in community confidence and cleaner streets.

‘Every authority can be part of this,’ Scott concluded. ‘Together, we can make a visible stand against waste crime.’