Your waste, your responsibility
Business or commercial waste
All businesses have a legal responsibility, a Duty of Care, for the waste they generate. Businesses not meeting the Duty of Care requirements may face enforcement action with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £300. For more serious cases prosecution can result. Businesses that need advice about meeting their legal responsibility can download the Duty of Care leaflet.
Household waste
Residents also have a duty to dispose of their waste correctly and may be unaware that they could be indirectly fly-tipping if they pass their waste to disreputable waste removal businesses. If your household waste is found dumped (fly-tipped), even if you have paid for someone else to dispose of it, you could still be held responsible for the crime. For advice on ensuring your household waste is handled correctly please download the Householders Duty of Care Leaflet.
Littering and fly-tipping
We will seek to prosecute anybody found fly-tipping. It is a serious criminal offence and courts can impose imprisonment, fines up to £50,000, costs and orders to deprive rights to vehicles used during the offence. Fly-tipping can take different forms and be made up of different materials. We offer a bulky waste collection for a charge or free disposal at either of our Household Waste Recycling Centres (tips). Littering is usually smaller items for which either a £150 or a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice can be issued. Leaving items on the public footpath, whether sacks on non-collection days or bulky items could be classed as littering or fly-tipping, always leave on your own property.
See it, report it
Incidents can be reported on MySouthend.
If you see fly-tipping and it is safe to do so, take photographs and keep a record of any vehicle number plates involved in the incident.