Southampton Fly-tipping Statistics 2025

Any type of waste disposed of illegally, whether that be on private, public or green land constitutes as fly-tipping in the UK - and Southampton is no exception. From discarded furniture and overflowing black bags, to construction debris and hazardous waste, a whole host of incidents have been seen across the city in recent years.

In this article, we delve into all the latest statistics on fly-tipping in Southampton, including the types of waste dumped most often, the most commonly fly-tipped areas, and how Southampton’s fly-tipping rate compares to that of the rest of Hampshire.

How many fly-tipping incidents are reported in Southampton each year?

Fly-tipping poses risks to public health, the environment, and the overall quality of life in areas affected – not forgetting, it’s also an eyesore! But just how much waste is illegally dumped in the city of Southampton each year? Our analysis of government data found:

• In the year ending March 2024, Southampton had the most fly-tipping reports in all of Hampshire, with 10,948 instances
• This means that on average, 30 instances of fly-tipping are reported per day in Southampton
• This is the 11th highest rate of all local authorities outside of London, and the highest overall in the South East region

The graph below shows the dramatic rise in fly-tipping reports in Southampton over the last 4 years. 

As you can see from table, fly-tipping incidents in Southampton have almost doubled in the last 8 years, going from just 5,569 reports in 2014-15, to 10,948 in 2021-24.

 

Where does fly-tipping occur most in Southampton?

Which parts of Southampton see the most instances of fly-tipping? Are city-centre back-streets the areas where waste is illegally dumped most often? Or do residential areas see more fly-tipped rubbish? To find out, we analysed data from FixMyStreet, which found:

• A high proportion of fly-tipping cases in Southampton are concentrated around the River Itchen area, though not directly on the riverside
• The North East of the city, specifically around the Maybush area, also appears to be a common hotspot
• Fortunately, there tend to be limited cases around Southampton Common, which is fortunate given its home to Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre

 The map shows all 755 reported fly-tipping cases that are still open within Southampton City Council area as of February 26^th 2025 (data from FixMyStreet)

According to government fly-tipping statistics, the most common types of land where incidents were reported in the year ending March 2024 were:

• Council land with 6,687 fly-tipping incidents
• Footpaths and bridleways: 2,391 reports
• Highway incidents: 1,528 reports

What type of waste is most commonly fly-tipped in Southampton?

Fly-tipped materials can range from hazardous chemical waste right through to household items such as wardrobes and fridge-freezers. But what type of waste is dumped most on the streets of Southampton?

The most common type of fly-tipping in Southampton is consistently black bag incidents, with both households and businesses being major offenders:

• Black Bags - Commercial Incidents - 1728
• Black Bags - Household Incidents - 5124

While households fly-tipping black bags is still 3 times higher than commercial incidents, it’s still troubling to see that the number of commercial incidents in so high.  Comparatively our research into Portsmouth fly-tipping statistics found that commercial incidents were just 1/15^th of the household incidents. 

Can you be fined for fly-tipping in Southampton?

Similarly to other councils across England, Southampton City Council issues fines (also known as Fixed Penalty Notices) to those found to be fly-tipping. These can be issued for reasons including:

• Dumping a fridge freezer on the pavement
• Placing multiple black sacks by your wheeled bin
• Dumping grab bags, asbestos, or construction waste
• Leaving household waste and cardboard boxes at charity clothing collection points
• Using someone from Facebook to dispose of your waste, which is then fly-tipped, without obtaining their full details and a receipt

How much can you be fined?

• The fixed penalty for fly-tipping in Southampton is £400, although reduced if paid within 10 days
• If the person issued with a fixed penalty does not pay the fixed penalty, the matter will be decided by a court
• The maximum penalty that can be imposed for fly-tipping is £50,000
• There are even cases where residents have been prosecuted or warrants for arrests have been put out after unpaid fines

What is being done to reduce Southampton’s fly-tipping rate?

• To help combat Southampton’s fly-tipping issue, mobile CCTV units have been installed at fly-tipping hotspots
• If you think travelling out of Southampton to avoid being caught is the answer, then think again. A Southampton man was charged for an incident in 2024 seeing a fine of £1292.74 and being given 200 hours community work after illegally dumping commercial waste in Salisbury woods

But despite all of these efforts and repercussions, fly-tipping is still a growing issue in Southampton as incidents continue to rise. This is in part due to the difficulty in catching individuals. 

Last year, just 33 fixed penalty notices were issued for fly-tipping in Southampton, meaning that only 0.3% of incidents resulted in a fixed penalty notice.

How to address Southampton’s alarming fly-tipping statistics

While the council plays a role in providing adequate waste disposal services and have recently stepped up their levels of enforcement, it’s residents and businesses who are responsible for disposing of their waste in a safe and legal manner.

Unfortunately, many individuals simply don’t have the time or means to transport their waste to local Southampton recycling points. This is where HIPPOs rubbish removal services  come in. Our experts remove household and commercial waste in a swift and professional way, taking care of everything from removal to disposal. From mattress removals, to white goods disposal, furniture collections and more, our friendly team are always on hand and happy to help.