Thursday January 8th 2026
Flytipping
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sarah Hilley
Three areas of Glasgow have been hit with far worse levels of flytipping than other neighbourhoods in the city.
Southside Central saw more than 7,586 public reports of flytipping while Govan and Pollokshields endured more than 6,000 cases each over the past two years- about double the rates endured elsewhere.
The fourth highest council ward for illegally dumped rubbish was Drumchapel and Anniesland with 3,467 complaints while Langside stood at fifth with 3,115.
For a full breakdown of every ward see below, with Baillieston scoring lowest at 916. In total there were 65, 216 reports across the whole city between January 2024 and November 2025.
Within Southside Central, Govanhill specifically has become the largest dumping ground with 6,525 reports.
The figures covering the period between January 2024 and November 2025 will be reported to the council’s operational performance and delivery scrutiny committee next week following a question from councillor Soryia Siddique.
The statistics also revealed that between 2022 and 2025 only 396 fixed penalty notices have been handed out by the council’s enforcement team to offenders.
Pollokshields councillor Jon Molyneux said: ““Flytipping is a criminal offence and anyone caught can face a £500 fine. Illegal waste operators and businesses which routinely dump their waste can end up in court, where fines of up to £40,000 are possible.
“Moreover, it’s just not something a good neighbour should do, forcing others to have to live around their mess. I would encourage anyone to report any rubbish they see dumped in the wrong place and if you have information on a flytipping incident this can be reported anonymously on the council website.”
Councillor Ruairi Kelly has previously pointed out criminal gangs are dumping the waste in the city and they move to different areas as soon when the council targets hotspots. A number of civil cases have been taken against flytippers in Glasgow, which can lead to far greater financial fines than the £500 fixed penalty notices.
It is reportedly difficult to catch flytippers but local authorities have been using cameras to snare them across the UK.
Flytipping reports in every council ward area for January 2024 to November 2025
Anderston/City/Yorkhill – 2249
Baillieston – 916
Calton – 2903
Canal – 1988
Cardonald – 2667
Dennistoun – 1706
Drumchapel/Anniesland – 3467
East Centre – 2652
Garscadden/Scotstounhill- 2215
Govan – 6987
Greater Pollok – 2363
Hillhead – 2907
Langside – 3115
Linn – 1672
Maryhill – 1626
Newlands/Auldburn – 1951
North East – 1977
Partick East/Kelvindale – 2044
Pollokshields – 6207
Shettleston – 1458
Southside Central – 7586
Springburn/Robroyston – 1361
Victoria Park – 2000
Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “Fly-tipping is a scourge that causes environmental damage and significant upset within affected communities.
“Where ever we find evidence that identifies culprits we will take enforcement action.
“We also work closely with partners such as SEPA and Police Scotland to ensure unscrupulous fly-tippers face enforcement action.
“The city’s public space CCTV system is recording 24 hours a day and is a highly effective tool for identifying fly-tipping culprits.
“Information from the communities affected by fly-tipping can also play a vital role in tackling this issue.
“There is no reason to fly-tip when residents can request the council to uplift large, bulky waste for just £5 per item.
“A wide range of waste can also be disposed of free-of-charge at our household waste and recycling centres, which are open 7-days per week.
On Govanhill:
“We have street cleaning resources working in Govanhill every day and we can respond quickly to incidents that are reported to us.
“We are also currently installing four new CCTV cameras in Govanhill to help tackle fly-tipping and other forms of anti-social behaviour after funding was allocated by the local area partnership committee.
“Much of the illegal dumping in Govanhill is committed by people from the area and so information from the community will help us to tackle this issue.”
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