The Rubbish We’re Living With
Fly-tipping is a big problem across Cardiff. Keeping our communities clean and safe is important to us and it’s something we take very seriously. When people dump rubbish where they shouldn’t, it doesn’t just look bad. It can make our neighbourhoods unsafe, affecting everyone’s wellbeing. It often means our staff have to spend time cleaning it up instead of doing their usual jobs, and it costs money that could be used to improve other services for tenants. The costs to CCHA associated with the removal of fly-tipping in 2024 alone were £160,000. On this page, you can learn more about why fly-tipping is a problem and what we’re doing about it.
The video below shows the real impact of fly-tipping. You’ll hear from people who deal with it every day and see how it makes our community worse, harms the environment, and costs money that could be used for other things.
What We’re Doing
In 2023 we recruited a new position of Waste Management Project Officer, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government’s Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Grant Scheme, administered by WCVA. The funding secured the role for 12 months during which time we were able to start to improve the waste management across several of our estates. Thanks to feedback from tenants, we have carried out the following actions and improvements:
- upgraded bin stores in five estates, adding roofs and locks to prevent fly-tipping in these areas
- removed the bin store in one of our fly-tipping hot spots and working with the council to provide individual bins with curb side collection for tenants
- installed CCTV cameras and public notices in key areas to deter future fly-tipping
- educated communities on how to dispose of waste correctly
- facilitated workshops and discussions with residents, to understand their concerns and how we can support them
- created partnerships with local authorities and other organisations to share best practice and work together to help keep our communities clean
- organised community clean up days to support residents and to help strengthen relationships and build trust
- taken enforcement action against those responsible for fly-tipping
- implemented clear procedures for reporting and tracking fly-tipping
The funding for the Waste Management Project Officer came to an end in March 2025. Due to the positive impact that this role has had on our communities, CCHA have employed a full-time Estates Co-ordinator to continue this important work. Keep checking back here or take a look at our Facebook and Instagram pages to stay up to date with our progress.
How we dispose of our waste has changed over the years, with more things being able to be recycled. This is great news for the environment, but it does mean that we must be extra careful when sorting our waste, and we only put it out on the morning that it is due to be collected. If the waste items aren’t in the correct bags, they won’t be collected. The council calls this ‘mis-presented waste’. An example of this is putting plastic waste in with your cardboard waste. When bags are left uncollected, or are put out too early, the contents are more likely to be blown onto the streets or emptied by seagulls or other animals. By remembering to sort our household waste correctly, we can make sure that all our rubbish is taken away and not ending up on our streets. Head to our resource section below to find out how to dispose of your household waste correctly.
Large items, such as mattresses, fridges and other furniture and appliances cannot be put out with your general household waste. These need to be disposed of separately. You can either dispose of the items yourself by taking them to the local Waste Recycling Centre, or you can contact the council or another licensed waste carrier to arrange for them to collect and dispose of the item for a fee. If the item is in good enough condition for it to be re-used or upcycled, you could even arrange to give it away to charity, advertise it in social media groups, or even sell it! You will find some of these options in the resources below.
When you report fly-tipping, you provide valuable information about where and when it’s happening. This allows the council and CCHA to focus on those specific areas to prevent future incidents. Any information you are able to provide, such as a description of the waste, the time it was dumped, and any vehicle details, allows the authorities to investigate and potentially take action against the offenders. Find out how to report fly-tipping in the resources below.