What's happened, and what next
What happened
Portsmouth recorded 525 fly-tipping incidents in 2021/22, 751 in 2022/23, 1,092 in 2023/24 and 937 in 2024/25 (Defra). Portsmouth City Council separately measured collected fly-tipped tonnage of 106.1 tonnes in January–August 2024 against 80.8 tonnes in the same months of 2025 — a fall of 23.8%. The council attributes the improvement partly to hotspot patrols, better investigations, cameras, improved Colas/council communication and work with the University on student move-out waste.
Why it matters
Fly-tipping degrades the places people live, costs public money to clear, can carry fire and health risks, and shifts the cost of disposal from whoever produced the waste onto the council, the taxpayer or a private landowner.
What's being done
Portsmouth has concentrated patrols on hotspots, improved investigations, deployed cameras, improved communication between Colas and the council, and worked with the University on student move-out waste. Nationally, government has abolished charges for small quantities of household DIY waste at recycling centres.
Has it worked?
On the available evidence, yes — at least partly. Incidents fell 14% and collected tonnage fell 23.8%. Two independent measures moving together is more persuasive than either alone, since incident counts are sensitive to how readily people report. Whether the fall is sustained, and how much is attributable to the interventions rather than to reporting changes, is not yet established.
What happens next
The 2025/26 Defra figures, and whether the tonnage reduction holds. The 2027 waste-carrier licensing reform is the main national change ahead.
Cost
Portsmouth's own clearance cost is not separately published. England-wide, Defra records £19.3m for 2024/25 — covering only the largest 4% of incidents.