THE council has revealed it was forced to carry out 816 fly-tipping investigations across Carmarthenshire last year — costing the tax payer more than £163,000.
The revelation, which led to 25 people being fined or prosecuted, comes as the authority teams up with the Post for a major campaign to make the county cleaner and safer.
And the council also said the money could have been better spent on other essential services — particularly in the current economic climate.
Executive board member for environmental and public protection, councillor Jim Jones, said: "There is no excuse for fly-tipping; the council has five waste recycling centres throughout the county for residents to dispose of their waste free of charge and we also offer a bulky waste collection service for a small charge.
"There have been instances where people have driven past their local waste recycling centre to dump their rubbish down a lane or in back street, it really makes no sense at all."
In total, there was 1,516 reported incidents of fly-tipping across the county in 2011/2012, and the council said a lot more probably went unreported.
A further 159 warning letters were sent and 29 stop-searches were carried out, while officers also conducted 35 duty of care inspections and issued five formal cautions.
Figures show around two thirds of all illegally dumped waste comes from the home, so residents are being urged to make sure their waste is disposed of properly — or they could be held responsible.
The council is determined to stamp out the problem, and groups and organisations from the community have been lending a helping hand.
Nearly 200 pupils from Coedcae school recently joined the fight against fly-tipping, carrying out litter picks along the coastline from North Dock to Pembrey Country Park as part of their Welsh Baccalaureate studies.
Mr Jones added: "We all have a duty to get rid of our waste legally and safely."
