New witness reward scheme launched to help crack down on fly-tipping in Merton 

· by · in Civic Pride, Clean streets, Enforcement, Environment, Keep It Clean Love Merton. ·

Residents who provide information leading to fly-tippers getting fined could receive up to £200.

As part of our efforts to crack down on fly-tipping and keep our neighbourhoods clean and tidy, Merton Council has launched a new Fly-tipping Witness Reward Scheme, offering residents a financial reward if information they provide leads to a successful prosecution.

Fly-tipping is criminal behaviour and can have a significant impact on neighbourhoods across the borough, making them look unclean, damaging local habitats, and forcing the council to spend more money on cleaning up dumped waste. The new scheme encourages residents to come forward with information and supports the Council’s ongoing enforcement activity to crack down on this behaviour.

The scheme builds on the Council’s wider work to crack down on fly-tipping, including nearly doubling the number of waste enforcement CCTV cameras used to catch fly-tippers, many with night-time capability and automatic number plate recognition.

Alongside this, the Council’s Wall of Shame campaign has been making a difference at key fly-tipping hotspots. As of December 2025, fly-tipping incidents are down by around 10% compared to last year, following the introduction of the Council’s fly-tipping strategy.

While these measures are helping to reduce fly-tipping in Merton, the Council is clear that the fight continues and offenders will be pursued and prosecuted.

Councillor Stuart Neaverson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Cleaner Streets said:

Fly-tipping is illegal and has no place in Merton. This new reward scheme gives residents an extra incentive to report offenders and supports our ongoing work to take firm enforcement action against those who dump waste in our community.

Information from witnesses plays a crucial role in helping us build strong cases and bring fly-tippers to justice.”

The Fly-tipping Witness Reward Scheme is now live. Residents are encouraged to report fly-tipping incidents as soon as they occur to help keep Merton’s streets and green spaces cleaner and greener.

How the scheme works 

Residents who personally witness fly-tipping taking place can report it by:

  • Completing the Council’s online fly-tipping report form
  • Emailing details, including photos or video evidence, to Waste.enforcement@merton.gov.uk
  • Calling the Council Contact Centre on 020 8274 4901 and selecting environmental enforcement

Reports must relate to a witnessed incident. Reports based solely on physical evidence found after the event do not qualify for the reward scheme. All information is handled confidentially and in line with data protection legislation.

Reward payments

Rewards are issued where information provided leads to a successful enforcement outcome:

  • £100 if a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) is issued and paid
  • £100 if a case proceeds to court and the witness is not required to attend
  • £200 if a case proceeds to court and the witness is required to attend 

Rewards are only paid once enforcement action has concluded successfully. 

For more information, visit our webpage.