Residents are being urged not to dump waste beside charity ‘bring’ banks – the plea comes after South Cambridgeshire District Council fined 24 people for fly-tipping at one site.

The recycling bank area in the Cambourne Morrisons car park, outside Home Bargains, was the subject of repeated dumping involving bags of recycling, rubbish and other unwanted items being left next to the banks when they were full.

Vacuum cleaners, TVs, mattresses, furniture and child seats – none of which could have been recycled via the small banks even if they were not full – were among the items dumped.

Dumping items beside recycling or charity banks is fly-tipping and can result in you being fined or prosecuted, says SCDC.

As a result of the fly-tipping, the banks have been removed, so depriving residents of a local charity recycling facility.

Enforcing the law

Over the past two years, SCDC Envirocrimes Officers took significant enforcement action at the Cambourne site, including issuing:

• 14 fly-tipping Fixed Penalty Notices.
• Eight littering Fixed Penalty Notices.
• Seven warning letters.

The Council has also brought six prosecutions, issued two Duty of Care Fixed Penalty Notices and is investigating a further 11 cases.

SCDC’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, said: “We know people in Cambourne were frustrated by rubbish being left beside these ‘bring’ banks – it is also an issue nationally.

“Most residents use them responsibly, they provide income for good causes, and they’re a convenient recycling option. But leaving items next to full banks or dumping unwanted goods is fly-tipping, which is not acceptable.

“If there is no room in a container, please take your items home and return another day or use a Household Recycling Centre. If they get misused, they’ll be removed as we’ve seen in Cambourne.

“Our officers investigate to identify those responsible wherever possible – and we will continue to issue fines and pursue prosecutions where we can.

“Fly-tipping harms communities and the environment. We will continue to investigate incidents and take action against offenders to protect South Cambridgeshire.”

He added: “Leaving waste beside recycling and charity banks creates an eyesore, can attract further dumping and vermin and places an unnecessary burden on those responsible for maintaining the site.”

Check there’s space!

Residents are asked to check there is space in the bins before depositing items and to take any materials away with them if the containers are full.

Household Recycling Centres across Cambridgeshire can be used to recycle a huge range of items – details are on this page of the Hatley website.

Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping can report it to South Cambridgeshire District Council online.

Unwanted clothes, bedding, shoes and accessories that are still in good condition can often be donated to charity shops, sold through second-hand platforms, given away via local community groups, or passed on through retailer take-back schemes where available.

Across the UK, rising costs and fly-tipping have led many textile recycling operators to reduce the number of collection banks they manage.

See also…

• Fly-tippers – does you mum still clean up after you?
• Someone put a grenade in their blue bin!

_{Post created by Peter Mann from a press release provided by SCDC, 5th October 2026.}