Manchester is setting out an ambitious plan to tackle the effects of fly‑tipping and litter across the City 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.
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.”
