Lib Dems pledge up to £5,000 rewards for illegal waste tip-offs

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Green Party leader Zack Polanksi argues decades of austerity have left residents without suitable ways to dispose of waste and supports making disposal more accessible.

Reform UK councillors have promised urgent clear-ups of illegally dumped waste, CCTV in fly-tipping hotspots, and heavy penalties for offenders.

The Conservatives say they want harsher penalties for fly-tippers and have pushed for offenders to face points on their driving licences, a proposal Labour ministers say they are now considering.

Labour said it would give councils new powers to force fly tippers to clean up waste and would grant the Environment Agency police-style powers to investigate major waste sites.

The party says tackling fly-tipping is a key campaign issue ahead of local elections in England in May 2026.

The Lib Dems would have the National Crime Agency take over the most serious waste incidents from the Environment Agency and would set a minimum fine of £2,500.

The Liberal Democrats would pay cash rewards of up to £5,000 for information that leads to successful prosecutions of criminals dumping waste. They would encourage local authorities to set bulky waste collection fees at £5 to reduce fly-tipping, with funding for the reduction coming from higher fines, including a minimum sanction raised to £2,500.

Some councils have tip-off schemes: Greenwich offers £100 on a prepaid card for photos or video footage of suspected fly-tippers; Merton pays £100 for witness reports resulting in a fine (rising to £200 if the case goes to court); East Hampshire District Council offers rewards of up to £500.

A giant 21,000-tonne waste tip in Oxfordshire is costing taxpayers £7.3m to clear.

The Environment Agency, which is responsible for dealing with the largest and most hazardous waste dumps, said it dealt with 98 incidents last year.

Government statistics show fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local councils in England increased by 9% to 1.26 million in 2025, with the cost of large-scale clear-ups standing at £19.3 million.