- Almost half of Britons (45%) have paid someone privately to take rubbish away – but just 9% checked they were legitimate
- Almost 1 in 3 would contact a waste collector advertising cheap prices and speedy collection despite showing no registration information
- Independent Keep Britain Tidy investigation finds 8 in 10 waste collectors failed to provide key credentials when ask
Millions of Britons could be leaving themselves open to fly-tipping scams by trusting professional-looking online adverts, cheap prices and promises of quick rubbish removal, instead of checking whether the person taking their waste away is legally registered, new research reveals today.
Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is launching its annual Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign, exposing how easily rogue waste traders can pass themselves off as legitimate businesses with convincing online ads, often generated by AI, making it difficult for consumers to know who they can trust. The campaign aims to help people spot the warning signs and make simple checks to avoid unwittingly handing over their rubbish to a criminal.
New YouGov research among more than 2,100 adults revealed:
- Almost one in three (32%) would be likely to contact a waste collection company whose advert promoted cheap prices, same-day collections and five-star reviews, but displayed no waste carrier registration information.
- Among those likely to contact an advert displaying no registration information, 42% would contact them because they could collect items at short notice and 37% would contact them because of their cheap prices.
Yet because of the trust people are placing in these ads, few are making the checks that could help them distinguish a legitimate operator from a rogue trader. Among people who had previously hired someone to take household waste away, just 9% had checked the person or company on the Environment Agency’s register, and fewer than a quarter (24%) asked for a receipt or proof of the service. When reminded that waste carriers must be legally registered, more than a third of respondents (38%) said they felt worried that their items may have been dumped irresponsibly. The findings have implications for millions of households, with 45% of those surveyed saying they had previously used a private person or company to take away household waste.
To find out what happens when consumers do make the checks that matter, Keep Britain Tidy volunteers across the country identified 156 waste carriers advertising their services online to put to the test. Representatives from Keep Britain Tidy contacted each of them, posing as householders looking for someone to take away a double mattress. Each was asked for a quote, their waste carrier registration number and confirmation that they would provide a receipt.
The investigation revealed how difficult it can be for consumers to get the information they need. Shockingly, more than 8 in 10 (81%) of the operators contacted failed to provide both their waste carrier registration number and confirmation that they would provide a receipt, even when explicitly asked. Only 11% of the operators contacted provided both pieces of information in their first response, rising to just under 1 in 5 (19%) when chased again. Four in ten of the operators contacted didn’t respond at all and in some cases, collectors said they would only provide their licence details once the job had been booked or when they arrived to collect the waste. The quotes provided for the same service also varied wildly, from £25 to £150.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Rogue waste traders don’t necessarily look like criminals. They can have professional-looking adverts, ‘five-star’ reviews and tempting offers to make your rubbish disappear quickly and cheaply. Our research suggests there could be a significant number of criminals operating through online ads, hiding among legitimate waste businesses. That’s exactly what makes this scam so easy to fall for.
“Most people are simply trying to solve a problem – they’ve bought a new sofa, they’re moving house, renovating or having a clear-out and they need the old stuff gone. Rogue traders can exploit these moments by offering what looks like an easy, cheap solution, but the warning signs are often hiding in plain sight. Tempting as it is to go with the cheapest, quickest option, that bargain price may turn out to be a rubbish deal – meaning you could end up paying a criminal to dump your stuff in your local neighbourhood.
“Before you hand rubbish over to anyone, make three simple checks: ask for the waste carrier registration details, check them yourself on the Environment Agency’s public register and check they’ll give you a receipt. If someone won’t give you the information you need, don’t give them your rubbish!”
The YouGov research also suggests that consumers may underestimate what responsible waste removal can cost. Almost 4 in 10 (39%) UK adults think £20 or less is a reasonable price to pay someone to collect and dispose of a double mattress, while more than half (55%) expect to pay £50 or less for removal of a three-seater sofa. Keep Britain Tidy is warning that while price alone is not proof an operator is rogue, an unusually cheap deal should prompt people to check their credentials, rather than simply assuming they have found a bargain.
Official DEFRA figures show fly-tipping continues to rise. Local authorities in England dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024-25, up 9% in a year, with household waste involved in 62% of incidents.
According to further research among local authorities by Keep Britain Tidy, 82% of council respondents say fly-tipping is a major problem in their area and 68% say incidents have increased over the past year. Among the respondents able to estimate who was responsible, 38% of incidents on average were attributed to rogue traders and commercial operators rather than individuals.
Keep Britain Tidy is urging anyone hiring someone to take their rubbish away to take three simple steps to avoid falling for a #RubbishDeal that leaves them, their community and their council paying the price.
- Ask – Ask for their waste carrier registration number
- Check – Check it yourself on the Environment Agency’s public register or call 0300 065 3000)
- Receipt – Get a receipt showing who took your waste
Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight will run nationwide from 12th – 25th October 2026, with local authorities across the country joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to shine a spotlight on waste crime and share practical advice to help consumers spot the warning signs and avoid a #RubbishDeal.
To find out more, visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/fight-fly-tipping