Waltham Forest recorded 28.35 incidents of construction-related fly-tipping per 10,000 residents in 2024/25. That puts the borough eleventh of London's 33 boroughs for illegally dumped construction, demolition and excavation waste.
The figures come from the UK Government's Fly-Tipping Incidents and Actions dataset for 2024/25. Analysts used it to pick out construction waste incidents across the capital.
How other boroughs compare
Merton has the highest rate in London at 130.96 incidents per 10,000 people, which is also the highest in England. Westminster is second with 128.19 per 10,000 residents, and Lewisham third with 122.99. Lewisham logged the most fly-tipping reports of any borough (33,471), but its larger population puts it third per head.
Harrow has the lowest rate, 0.07 incidents per 10,000 people, from just two construction-related cases.
Why it matters
Mark Hall, a waste management expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, said construction waste brings particular environmental and financial risks.
"Large incidents can require specialist vehicles and equipment to clear, increasing the cost to councils and the public," he said. "Improperly dumped waste can also contaminate soil and water, damaging the local environment."
What you can do
If you are having building work done or clearing out rubble, check who is taking the waste away. As Mr Hall put it: "Householders and businesses have a responsibility to check that anyone taking their waste away is authorised to do so and has provided correct documentation."
