The 'Dumb Dumpers' anti-flytipping campaign is administered on behalf of the Scottish Flytipping Forum by Keep Scotland Beautiful. Keep Scotland Beautiful is an operating name of Environmental Campaigns (Scotland). Scottish Charity Number SC030332.
The term Dumb Dumpers was first adopted by the Scottish Flytipping Forum in 2004 to promote its anti-flytipping campaign, and it continues to be used in ongoing efforts to tackle the problem on a national scale.
Dumb Dumpers is a nation-wide advertising campaign, which uses various media to promote the anti-flytipping message. Its primary aims are to:
- Make people aware that flytipping is unacceptable
- Warn flytippers that they run the risk of being caught and fined
- Provide simple means for incidences of flytipping to be reported by members of the public
Scotland's most famous grouch Victor Meldrew (aka actor, Richard Wilson) launched the initial drive, using radio and TV adverts, to encourage people who feel grumpy about flytipping to report it via the Dumb Dumpers hotline. Copies of the advert were made available to local authorities and other partners on DVD along with posters and information packs. Adverts were also placed in the press and on bus backs.
The next phase of TV advertising targeted 'White Van Man', or the unregistered waste carriers who offer to remove waste for householders at reduced cost - only to dump it illegally. Since the launch of the Dumb Dumpers campaign the amount of household waste being dumped had reduced but business waste, such as building rubble, kitchen refits, etc continued to be a problem. Additional adverts were aired, featuring the voice talents of comedy duo Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan from the Television show "Still Game", who lent their voices to a pair of bickering animated men, who are driving out to the countryside in their white van to dump some rubbish. The TV ads were supported by radio advertising, bus back adverts, petrol pump adverts and press coverage as well as two specific enforcement weeks.
Adverts aimed at householders were aired on TV between Christmas and New Year 2007, a time when people have much more waste than normal, featuring a family playing 'I Spy'. Instead of spying trees and fields in the countryside the children spotted a TV and chair that had been dumped.
To view examples of flytipping, go to the Gallery page.