Fly-tipping in Edinburgh and your duty of care
Hiring someone to take your rubbish in Edinburgh? Here's how to check them and avoid a fine, checked against City of Edinburgh Council pages on 30 October 2026.
- The council can issue a £200 fixed penalty for fly-tipping
- Courts can fine up to £40,000 or imprison
- Check a collector is on the SEPA public register before you hand waste over
- You can share liability if you do not make reasonable checks
- Report fly-tipping on the council website
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Penalties
The council page says it can issue fixed penalty notices of £200 for fly-tipping, and that courts can impose a penalty of up to £40,000 or imprisonment. Where items are dumped on private land, the landowner is responsible for clearing them.
Checking a collector
- Ask whether they are a registered waste transporter
- Check the registration is valid on the SEPA public register
- Ask where the waste is going, and check disposal costs are in the quote
- Be suspicious of unrealistically cheap offers
- Only hand over your waste once you have confirmed the registration
This is the Scottish Government duty of care guidance. It also says that if waste from your property is fly-tipped after you failed to make reasonable checks, you may share liability with the fly-tipper and face enforcement action.
Reporting
The council asks people to report fly-tipping online. To help identify who dumped it, it suggests emailing streetenforcement@edinburgh.gov.uk with the location, a description and any vehicle registration number.
Safer options: the council bulky uplift, a booked visit to the Edinburgh tips, or licensed rubbish removal.