Cornwall Fly-Tipping Up 27% As Cases Near 4,000

Something has shifted on Cornwall’s roadsides. After two years of falling numbers, fly-tipping is climbing again, and the latest figures suggest the problem is building faster than anyone might have expected.

New analysis of Defra statistics shows Cornwall recorded 3,931 fly-tipping incidents in 2024-25. That is the fourth-highest total in the South West, and it represents 830 more cases than the year before.

The research was carried out by eco-friendly rubbish removal company HIPPO Waste, which looked at fly-tipping data for every local authority in the region, comparing total incidents in 2024-25 with figures going back to 2020-21.

A sharp rise in a single year

The standout figure is the speed of the increase. Incidents jumped from 3,101 in 2023-24 to 3,931 in 2024-25, a rise of 26.8% in just twelve months. That takes Cornwall back above its 2020-21 level of 3,734 incidents.

The longer-term picture is less alarming. Cornwall’s fly-tipping numbers actually fell for two years after 2020-21, dropping to 2,770 in 2022-23, before turning upwards again. Across the full period, the county is now 5.3% higher than where it started.

Where Cornwall sits in the region

Cornwall ranks fourth in the South West and 84th across England. Only Bristol, Plymouth and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole recorded more incidents in the region. Cornwall sits ahead of Swindon and Wiltshire.

Bristol tops the regional table with 10,266 incidents, the only South West authority to pass 10,000. The city is up 20% in a year and now sits 10.6% above its 2020-21 level. Plymouth ranks second with 5,370 incidents, though its numbers are heading the other way, down 6.5% on last year and 23.5% lower than in 2020-21.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole takes third with 4,966 incidents, a figure up 77.9% both year-on-year and since 2020-21, meaning almost all of its rise has come in the latest year.

Court fines return after a year of none

There is another change worth noting. Cornwall issued £3,160 in court fines linked to fly-tipping in 2024-25, after recording no fines at all the year before. That said, the figure remains below the £7,348 issued in 2021-22.

Why Cornwall struggles more than most

Gareth Lloyd Jones, Managing Director at HIPPO Waste, pointed to the county’s geography as part of the picture.

“The South West shows just how different the fly-tipping picture can be from one council to the next. In Cornwall, the issue is partly about geography. You have a large county, lots of rural roads, smaller communities, holiday lets and people travelling between towns, villages and coastal areas. That can make dumping harder to spot quickly and more expensive to clear,” Gareth said.

He added that the recent jump is what catches the eye. “What stands out in Cornwall is the recent jump. The county is only slightly above where it was in 2020-21, but a rise of more than a quarter in one year suggests the pressure has started to build again. Rural fly-tipping can be especially frustrating because one dumped sofa, fridge or pile of building waste can sit in a lane or gateway for days before it is reported.”

On what might help, Gareth said reliable services were key. “Reliable waste collections and accessible disposal services make a huge difference. If councils are struggling to roll out new food waste collections consistently, there is always a risk more rubbish ends up dumped on roadsides, in rural lay-bys or near residential estates.”

For now, the numbers tell their own story. After two years of progress, Cornwall’s roadsides are filling up again.