An ambitious plan to tackle the effects of fly‑tipping and litter across Manchester are on track to improve the environment and strengthen community pride.
Following a Scrutiny/Exec meeting with local councillors and officers, the Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy was formally approved as a long‑term plan to significantly reduce the improper disposal of waste, its drain on public money and to improve neighbourhood cleanliness across the city.
Developed with extensive input from residents, partners, businesses and schools, the strategy sets out a nine‑year framework backed by targeted enforcement, service improvements and behaviour‑change campaigns to drive significant impact for thousands of Mancunians.
The council’s Clean and Green investment programme is working alongside this extensive strategy, already responsible for an ambitious roll out of litter bins in key areas of the city to encourage residents to dispose of their litter appropriately.
The council removes litter and detritus as part of its scheduled services and in 2024-25 responded to 6,563 reports of dust, dirt, or litter. In the same period, a total of 11,952 fines were issued for littering.
Fly-tipping also continues to be an issue that millions are working hard to successfully eradicate. Nationally, England saw 1.15 million incidents in 2023/24), a 6% increase, with household waste accounting for more than 60% of cases.
In Manchester, the city recorded 14,963 fly‑tipping incidents in 2024/25, placing it mid‑range nationally but still below cities like Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol. Fly-tipping in Manchester usually occurs on roads and pavements (59%) and alleyways (22%).
The Fly-tipping and Litter Strategy is also heavily influenced by the Council’s Our Manchester Strategy and will be formally launched in March 2026 to coincide with the beginning of the Great British Spring Clean, signalling the Council’s commitment to creating cleaner, safer and greener neighbourhoods for everyone.
The strategy is underpinned by four key themes: Data, Insight and Review, Infrastructure and Services, Participation, Engagement and Education, Compliance and Enforcement.
Proposed solutions include:
Increasing Pride and Personal Responsibility
This area focuses on encouraging residents to take pride in their neighbourhoods, particularly in alleyways and other shared spaces. Actions include local beautification projects, involving community leaders, supporting community-led clean‑ups, encouraging businesses to keep shop fronts tidy, and celebrating the efforts of volunteers to build long-term engagement.
Participation, Education and Engagement
This theme centres on working together to support communities in tackling fly-tipping and litter and includes actions such as targeted communication and education to shift behaviours around waste. Campaigns are tailored to specific groups, signage is used at key moments, such as immediately after fly‑tipping is cleared, and social media helps amplify the message within local online communities.
Landlord Accountability
By using licensing schemes and improved communication, the aim is to reduce waste linked to rented properties. Guidance for landlords, agents and tenants supports better waste practices and reduces the chances of fly-tipping.
Visible Enforcement Action
Making enforcement more visible helps demonstrate that waste offences have consequences. This includes using crime-scene‑style tape, stencils to show community impact, publicising prosecutions, and making it easier for witnesses to provide evidence safely.
Cut Off the Waste Supply to Rogue Traders
This strand focuses on stopping rogue waste carriers by educating householders about their responsibilities, targeting illegal adverts, offering legitimate disposal options, and promoting accredited traders.
Build Our Circular Economy and Reduce Waste
By supporting initiatives that encourage repairing, borrowing, and reusing, the community can reduce waste at the source. Examples include repair cafés, Libraries of Things, and campaigns that promote thoughtful purchasing.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, said: “The Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy is a significant step towards improving the long-term health of Manchester’s communities.
“We recognised how important it is to hear from residents, people who live and work in the city, themselves and so we have developed this strategy in close consultation through their lived experiences and advice.
“While we already have key initiatives we work under, in addition to several other strategies and projects, this new strategy sets to galvanise and advance the work our services and communities are doing to ensure Manchester becomes cleaner and greener for everyone.”
