But that could be about to change, as a new scheme to promote genuine waste carriers – as opposed to cowboy firms – was launched by Leeds City Council this week.

The Leeds Accredited Waste Carrier Scheme was set up so that residents can choose from a selection of trustworthy, city-based businesses to take away their waste.

The initiative comes as new figures from the non-profit organisation Material Focus reveal that up to 60% of waste carriers could be operating illegally.

But it is not just the criminal firms that could be punished because of fly-tipping – it also brings penalties to those who hired them.

A total of 12 people in Leeds have been prosecuted over the last year for not choosing a licensed carrier. One of these was a Farnley resident who paid a waste collector on Facebook £150 to remove waste from their property.

When the council’s Serious Environmental Crime Team found the waste dumped illegally, the resident couldn’t provide details of who had removed the waste and hadn’t checked if they held a licence.

They were hit with a £200 fine, which they failed to pay. They were then prosecuted and had to pay more than £1,000 including costs and victim surcharges.

Leeds City Council has crushed 10 vans used for fly-tipping in the last 12 months.

Under the new scheme, residents can easily find a list of accredited waste carriers that the council has vetted, with intelligence shared by the police before the status is awarded.