Residents are urged to avoid a #RubbishDeal as part of a national campaign encouraging them to help tackle fly-tipping.
Wychavon is backing Keep Britain Tidy's Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight, which runs from 12 to 25 October.
The campaign warns about rogue waste collectors who advertise cheap, “too good to be true” rubbish removal services online and on social media, then dump the waste illegally.
Checking a waste carrier's licence could help stop rogue operators blighting the district's countryside and communities.
But a Keep Britain Tidy survey found only 46% knew they should check before hiring someone to remove their rubbish, and only 13% of those aware had ever done so. Of those considering hiring a waste collector, 42% said they trusted an operator based on their advert.
Residents who fail to make checks not only risk being fined if their waste is dumped illegally but are also helping rogue collectors profit from a problem that has reached record levels nationally.
More than 1,000 fly-tipping incidents were reported across Wychavon in 2025/26, up more than 14% on the previous year, with clear-up costs estimated at £50,000 every year.
Residents are encouraged to take three simple steps before paying someone to remove their waste:
- Ask to see their waste carrier licence.
- Check they are on the public register on the Environment Agency's website or call 0300 065 3000.
- Get a receipt or official record of the waste transfer.
Wychavon's free WasteGuard service also lists local waste carriers who have been checked for the required licence and responsible waste disposal practices.
The campaign follows Wychavon's decision to increase the fine for fly-tipping from £1,000 to £5,000.
Cllr Beverley Hardman, Wychavon's Executive Board Member for Environment, said: "Fly-tipping damages our environment, spoils the places where we live and costs taxpayers’ money.
"We all have a role to play in tackling it, and that starts with taking a few minutes to check who we're handing our waste over to.
"Rogue traders rely on people not asking questions. The more we check, the harder we make it for them to operate and the less rubbish ends up dumped in our communities."
Visit our fight fly-tipping fortnight page for more information.
