Litter and flytipping
Litter is waste in the wrong place and can be any man-made material or item associated with food. Flytipping describes the dumping of waste in the wrong place, and can be anything from a bin bag of household waste to large quantities of domestic, commercial or construction waste.
Every year, 250 million easily visible items are dropped as litter and 26,000 tonnes of material is flytipped. According to 2013 Zero Waste Scotland research, at least £53 million of public money is spent cleaning this up every year.
We recognise the risks that litter and flytipping pose to public health and the environment, and are committed to tackling both litter and flytipping in Scotland.
We do this primarily through our resource efficiency delivery partner, Zero Waste Scotland, who work with land owners and managers, local authorities, businesses and charities, including Keep Scotland Beautiful.
See below for information on:
- litter strategies
- single-use carrier bags
- penalties for litter and flytipping
- responsibilities for tackling waste
- how to report flytipping
Litter strategies
In 2014 we published our litter strategy, Towards a litter-free Scotland: a strategic approach to higher quality local environments.
We refreshed this strategy in June 2023 as a national litter and flytipping strategy, developed in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, Keeping Scotland Beautiful and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency . This recognises that these are separate issues allows us to take a tailored approach to each. This six-year strategy is accompanied by an 2023-2024 action plan detailing specific actions and interventions. The action plan will be reviewed and updated every year.
Marine Scotland published a marine litter strategy in 2014 to address litter affecting marine and coastal environments. They refreshed this marine litter strategy in 2022 with action planned on sewage-related debris, plastic pellets, and fishing and aquaculture gear.
Single-use carrier bags
We introduced a charge for single-use carrier bags from 20 October 2014. It is estimated to have reduced carrier bag use by 80% in its first year of operation.
Penalties for litter and flytipping
There are fixed penalties of £80 for littering and £500 for flytipping. The Fly-tipping (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Order 2023 increased the fixed penalty amount specified in section 33A(9) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 from £200 to £500 with effect from 1 January 2024.
Penalties can be issued by the police, by local authorities, and – since 1 April 2015 – by public bodies including Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
If the case goes to court, a person who is caught littering will have to pay a fine of up to £2,500. Someone convicted of flytipping could be fined up to £40,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months.
In addition, SEPA and Revenue Scotland are able to recover landfill tax from illegally deposited wastes.
Responsibilities for tackling waste
Citizens and businesses are responsible for disposing of their own waste responsibly. Recycle for Scotland provides advice on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. Revolve is a re-use quality standard for shops that sell second-hand goods, and its website provides a directory of said shops.
Clearing litter from streets and public areas in Scotland is the responsibility of local authorities and statutory undertakers such as Network Rail, Scottish Canals and schools, colleges and universities, as set out by the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Transport Scotland is responsible for clearing litter from motorways and special roads, while local authorities are responsible for keeping local roads and most trunk roads clear.
Local authorities and other duty holders are free to determine how best to fulfil their duties, providing they have regard to the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR) 2018.
Litter knowledge network
Through Zero Waste Scotland we have published an online resource, the litter knowledge network, which contains advice, expertise, case studies and communication materials to help communities, businesses and the public sector with litter prevention.
Charter for household recycling
In November 2015 we agreed on a Charter for Household Recycling with COSLA that aims to bring more consistency to recycling services.
Report flytipping
Anyone can report flytipping by contacting the relevant local authority directly. You can find details for the relevant local authority at GOV.UK.
If the incident you report is ongoing, is believed to be of a hazardous nature or is near a watercourse, the information will be passed to SEPA or Police Scotland.
If the waste concerned is non-hazardous, the information will be passed to the relevant local authority for investigation.