Perth and Kinross Council has set up a £20,000 fund to combat fly-tipping.
The money is to be used to support communities affected by illegally-dumped waste on private land during the coronavirus outbreak.
And the local authority has warned anyone found guilty of blighting the landscape by irresponsibly discarding their rubbish risks a fine of up to £40,000 and imprisonment.
Landowners, communities or individuals can apply to the fund to help meet the cost of removing fly-tipped waste from their land or to pay for actions to stop fly-tipping in the future.
These could include installing barriers such as fencing or putting in measures such as posts or boulders to stop traffic gaining access to land.
Funding could also be used for local anti-fly-tipping campaigns, signs or CCTV.
Most awards will be between £500 and £1000 but there is no minimum limit for funding requests.
The maximum award will be £3000, although a larger amount may be granted in what the council described as “exceptional” circumstances.
Applications will be processed within three weeks.
A local authority spokesperson said: “We have introduced the fly-tipping fund for a limited period to support communities and landowners at this difficult time and to help build greater public involvement through the provision of support and funding.
“The funding will empower communities to take a stand against fly-tipping on private land and to assist them in managing the problem.
“The waste services team can provide advice to landowners on preventative actions and will also work with landowners to recover any relevant evidence to support further enforcement.”
For more information see www.pkc.gov.uk/flytippingfund
