Council review calls for better reporting and public awareness on waste
Calls have been made for better public awareness and for more people to report problems after a recent review into continuing problems with fly tipping, littering and dog fouling in the city.
The review by Portsmouth City Council focused on reducing rubbish in streets and public spaces, while also looking at how other councils are dealing with similar problems. It identified different types of unauthorised waste, including litter dropped by pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, abandoned shopping trolleys, dog fouling, household rubbish left on pavements, and fly tipping.
Between February and August, the council received 3,941 requests to clear unauthorised waste—most of these were on pavements, though some were on housing land, private property, and commercial sites.
During a similar period, from April to September 2024, the council’s Safe, Clean and Tidy team received 4,008 reports, with over three-quarters related to public roads and pavements.
Colas, the council’s street cleaning contractor, usually carries out around 6,000 clean-up jobs a year. However, in 2024/25, this dropped to just 1,160. These included clearing fly tips, collecting abandoned bikes and trolleys, and removing dog waste.
As part of the review, councillors shared feedback from residents and their own experience. Many said people aren’t sure how to report problems, or feel it’s not worth doing because they don’t think anything will be done. Awareness of the council’s My Portsmouth App was also low. Councillors highlighted slow response times and felt that fly tipping had become normalised in some areas.
To tackle these issues, the review recommends better communication to make people aware of how to report problems - especially through the app - and more engagement with landlords, tenants and students at the University of Portsmouth.
One local campaign, called “Bring Your Bin Back In,” targeted homes with front doors opening directly onto the street, where bins were often left out after collection. Since January, 553 warning letters have been issued, 229 households have been moved to stackable bins, and 27 homes have been flagged for extra support.
Abandoned shopping trolleys remain a problem in places like Estella Road. The review suggests a citywide £1 deposit scheme could help reduce the number of trolleys being dumped.
In Fratton, a new trial to manage fly tipping is showing good results. When a tip is reported, a blue sticker is added to show it’s logged. A council officer usually visits the same day to place a red sticker, showing it will be cleared within 24 hours. In about 30 per cent of cases, the waste is returned to the person who dumped it.
Fly tipping has dropped across the city. The council now clears about 10 tonnes of dumped waste a month, compared to 30 tonnes in 2015. The review also looked at similar schemes in other areas and found, for example, that Gosport’s use of portable skips hasn’t made much difference. Some skips are removed early when full, leaving residents frustrated if they arrive to find the skip already gone.
Dog fouling continues to be an issue, especially on school routes, particularly on council-owned land between City of Portsmouth College and Highbury Primary School. Issuing fines is difficult, as officers must witness the act and see the owner walk away without clearing it. However, the review noted that some councils have brought in by-laws that require dog walkers to carry a waste bag, which has led to better results.
Over the last 12 months, 393 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for littering and 33 for fly tipping. Around 80 per cent were paid, avoiding court action. Altogether, the council issued between 500 and 600 fines in 2024, worth about £60,000.
The review concluded that, although there have been improvements, there are still parts of Portsmouth that “need improvement”. It said “human behaviour” is a major issue and called for more public awareness, better use of reporting tools, and continued work with local people and businesses.
Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said the most eye-opening part of the street cleanliness review was visiting Southampton, where he found some streets to be "appallingly grubby”.
To report flytipping, dog fouling, litter and other problems in Portsmouth visit the city council’s dedicated reporting page and click on the correct ‘report it’ option.