Council launches campaign to tackle fly-tipping after 1.65 tonnes of waste cleared from A12
The initiative is part of a wider effort to combat illegal dumping.
Colchester City Council has launched a campaign to tackle fly-tipping after clearing 1.65 tonnes of waste from the A12 over three nights.
The significant clean-up operation began on 27 October 2025, with overnight road closures allowing workers to remove a large amount of illegally dumped waste and litter safely.
The council’s Street Care and Safety team focused initially on lay-bys and later moved to a four-mile stretch of the A12, between Junctions 28 and 26, London-bound. Waste collected included old tyres, plastic bottles, paper, cardboard, and signage, weighing the equivalent of a large family car.
The effort aligns with Keep Britain Tidy’s “Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight,” running from 10 to 23 November 2025.
The national campaign works to target rogue operators who illegally dump waste, urging households to ensure their rubbish is disposed of responsibly.
Fly-tipping costs councils across the country millions of pounds annually. In Colchester alone, 4,332 incidents were cleared last year, with the clean-up bill exceeding £85,000.
Cllr Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Neighbourhoods and Leisure, emphasised the importance of community involvement in tackling fly-tipping.
“Fly-tipping has an impact on all of us and is a deep source of frustration. Not only is it a blight on our local environment, it costs taxpayers thousands in clear-up costs. This is money that could be spent on other important services," he said.
“Our teams work hard to tackle fly-tipping and littering, and they do a fantastic job, but we need our community’s help to stop it at the source. We’re asking people to check who they pay to take rubbish away. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is, and sadly it’s our residents and communities who ultimately pay the price.”
Residents are also encouraged to take part in local litter picking events run by Colchester’s Litter Warriors, a council-supported initiative involving over 600 volunteers who help keep the city clean and green.