Fly-tipping fines in Bristol and your duty of care
What fly-tipping can cost in Bristol and how to stay on the right side of it, checked against Bristol City Council and Bristol Waste Company pages on 30 October 2026.
- The council says fly-tipping can bring a fine of up to £50,000 and up to five years in prison
- If someone dumps waste for you, you could get a £400 fixed penalty or an unlimited court fine
- Check any carrier is on the Environment Agency register and keep the transfer note
- Report fly-tipping on council land through FixMyStreet
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What the council says
Bristol City Council's fly-tipping page says fly-tipping can bring "a fine of up to £50,000" and up to five years' imprisonment. The Bristol Waste Company's bulky page adds that leaving items on the street without a booking is fly-tipping.
If someone dumps it for you
The council says that if someone fly-tips waste on your behalf, you could receive a £400 fixed penalty notice or an unlimited fine at court. This is why a cheap offer from a stranger online is a risk: the fine can land on you, not on them.
How to check a firm
- Ask for their waste carrier registration number
- Look them up on the Environment Agency register
- Get a receipt or waste transfer note when they take the waste
- Keep the paperwork
Reporting
The council asks you to report fly-tipping on roads, pavements and council land through the "Report flytipping" link on FixMyStreet, and says it aims to clear it within three working days on most council land, longer if lifting equipment is needed. For private land, phone 0117 922 2100.
The fine levels in the news
A Bristol24/7 report of 8 April 2024 said the council planned to raise its fly-tipping fixed penalty to £1,000, up from £400, from 17 April that year, keeping littering at £150 and the household duty of care at £400. That was a report on what was proposed, not the council's current page, so check with the council before quoting a figure.
Easier than the risk: book a council bulky collection or use a licensed rubbish removal company.
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