A new case of fly-tipping is being reported every two hours across Sussex.
And only a fraction of the cost of clearing up the mess is recouped in fines.
Rural pressure group the Countryside Alliance released the figures as part of a campaign for a crackdown on tipping with extra funding and an education campaign.
The group obtained figures for Brighton and Hove, Lewes district, Eastbourne, the Rother district, Chichester and Crawley, saying other councils in the county did not respond.
Those areas spent more than twice as much on enforcement action for fly-tipping as they recovered in fines last year, and four times as much on clearing up mess.
There were 5,319 cases in the areas covered, with clearance costs of £171,106.
There were 952 "enforcements", costing 99,172, with only 50 successful prosecutions recorded and 415 fines totalling £44,448.
In Brighton and Hove, 1,809 cases were reported between April last year and March this year. According to the figures, the dumped waste cost £89,470 to clear up.
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