Fly-tipping: why the cheap "man with a van" can land you a fine

Yes, you can be fined if someone you paid to take away your garden waste dumps it. Householders have a legal duty of care to give their waste only to someone authorised to carry it. If the waste is fly-tipped and traced back to your address, and you did not take reasonable steps to check who you gave it to, your council can issue you with a fixed penalty of up to £600, or prosecute. The check takes about two minutes on the Environment Agency's public register.

Your duty of care, in plain terms

Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty of care on householders. You must take all reasonable measures available to you to make sure the waste from your property goes only to an authorised person, such as a registered waste carrier or a site with a permit.

That includes garden waste. Branches, hedge cuttings, turf, brambles and old fence panels all count. It does not matter that it is "only green waste" or that the job was cheap.

You are not expected to follow the van to the tip. You are expected to check that the person is registered before you hand the waste over, and to keep some evidence that you did.

What the fine is

Government guidance for councils sets the fixed penalty for a householder who breaches the duty of care at:

Councils decide their own level within that range, and many now use the maximum. If a case goes to court instead, the penalty can be higher.

The person who actually dumps waste faces much more. Solihull Council, for example, warns that fly-tipping can lead to a fine of up to £50,000 and 12 months in custody in the magistrates' court, or an unlimited fine and up to five years in the Crown Court. In July 2026 the government announced that the maximum on-the-spot fine for fly-tipping itself would rise to £5,000.

How to check a waste carrier, step by step

1. Ask for their waste carrier registration number. In England it starts with the letters CB. A genuine business will give it to you straight away, and it is often printed on the van, invoice or website.
2. Go to the Environment Agency's public register. Search "register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers" or go to environment.data.gov.uk/public-register and choose waste carriers and brokers.
3. Search by registration number if you have it, or by business name and postcode.
4. Check the tier. A business carrying other people's waste for money should hold upper tier registration. Lower tier is for people carrying mainly their own waste.
5. Check the name and the expiry date. The name on the register should match the business you are dealing with. Upper tier registrations must be renewed every three years.
6. Take a screenshot or note the number and the date you checked.

If they are not on the register, do not hand over your waste.

Ask for a receipt or waste transfer note

Businesses must use waste transfer notes between themselves. Householders are not legally required to keep one, but government guidance says evidence of your checks helps show you met your duty of care. Good evidence includes:

• a receipt or invoice with the business name, address and registration number
• a note of the van registration
• your record of the register check

A local clearance firm will give you a receipt as a matter of course. If someone refuses to put anything in writing, treat that as your answer.

Signs a cheap price is too cheap

Disposing of waste legally costs money. A licensed site charges a firm to accept it, and that cost is built into every honest price. When a quote is far below everyone else's, the saving often comes from skipping the tip.

Be wary of:

• leaflets, social media posts or doorstep callers offering "any waste removed, cheap"
• cash only, no receipt, no address
• no registration number, or a number that does not match the name
• an unmarked van or a vehicle that changes from one visit to the next
• a price that drops when you mention you are happy to pay cash

For comparison, our price card puts a garden waste collection at about £80 for a car boot's worth, up to about £330 for a full van. A light garden clearance is about £220–£320, moderate £380–£600 and heavy £650–£1,000, with waste removal included.

If you are offered a suspiciously cheap deal

• Ask for the registration number and check it before agreeing to anything.
• If they will not give it, say no. You can take the waste to a household recycling centre yourself, use your council's garden waste collection, or hire a skip from a registered firm.
• If you think waste has already been dumped, report it to your council. Give them any details you have, such as a name, phone number or van registration.
• If your waste has been fly-tipped by someone you paid, contact the council before they contact you. Show them the checks you made.

Getting garden waste removed properly

We are an introducer. For clearance jobs we pass your enquiry to one local specialist in your area, who should be registered to carry your waste. Ask them for the number and check it; it takes two minutes.

• Green waste removal for piles of cuttings and branches
• Garden clearance and overgrown garden clearance for full clear-outs
• Garden clearance cost guide for price ranges by garden size and state

If you would rather do it yourself, our guide on how to clear an overgrown garden covers tips, bins and skips.