Tougher measures planned to fight fly-tipping

With flytipping still a major blight in many rural areas, a Scottish Government consultation is considering doubling the maximum fine for those caught dumping waste illegally.

A new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy proposes a range of measures to prevent litter and flytipping, improve data and strengthen enforcement.

This includes raising fines for flytipping from £200 to £500 - the maximum permitted by current legislation – but the consultation also asks if they should be raised beyond this cap.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said that the introduction of a sustained national behaviour change campaign was also being proposed, aimed at breaking the cycle of littering and flytipping, supported by new research, looking at why people continued to litter.

“We want a Scotland that is free of the blight of litter and flytipping. That’s why we’re asking for views on a bold set of measures that could help make our streets, parks and public spaces free of rubbish,” said Slater.

“Litter and flytipping are not just a blight on local communities – they also cost millions of pounds every year in clean-up costs. We need to send a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Proposals include the increased and improved use of data to locate and target litter and flytipping hotspots. She said that the creation of a national flytipping forum would also bring together key stakeholders in Scotland to discuss how to implement the new strategy and share best practice and insights relating to tackling flytipping.