Waste disposal bills at Spitalfields wholesale market is running 'out of control' with costs climbing to more than £600,000, claimed market bosses.
Chris Hutchison, chairman of the markets tenants association, said: "The cost factor with rubbish is running out of control and it's in our interests to keep costs down as much as possible.
"A lot of the waste is being made up of rubbish being dumped around the fringes of the market."
Speaking at the Fresh Produce Consortium Wholesale Division's annual conference, he said the market had now introduced a CCTV system in a bid to catch the polluters red handed.
"We've also brought in a £50 charge for disposing of a pallet of waste, which is subsidised by the market. If we catch people dumping waste illegally, then it a £125 cost."
George Bray, chairman of Western International Tenants Association, agreed that the waste problem was getting serious. "Some of the people dumping waste are like the SAS, they suddenly come out at night. We've introduced a name and shame scheme for people we catch dumping."
