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You are here: Home > Environment > Cleaner Streets > Litter

The battle against litter

Litter is a national plague but in this Borough we're doing something about it. Read about what we're doing - and how you can help.

In our borough we spend over £1 million each year removing 1,407 tonnes of litter from 1,400 streets.

Last year, 90 per cent of our streets were kept predominantly free of litter. 

We all want to live and work in an attractive and safe environment, but keeping an area clean is a lot harder than it might appear.

Is it a crime to drop litter?

Yes, if it happens in a public place.

The average fine is around £95 although a court does have the power to fine someone up to £2,500 (a Level 4 offence on the Standard Scale). Cases are heard in the Magistrates' Court.

Approximately 400 people were prosecuted last year by the police for littering. Alternatively, you can get a £50 fixed penalty fine for littering from a "litter warden".

What are we doing about litter?

Cleaning

We employ

• 30 Sweeping Operatives
• 6 Neighbourhood Service Operatives
• 3 Community Wardens and
• A Dog Warden. 

We have 

• 7 specialised sweeping vehicles;
• 2 graffiti machines and
• 550 litterbins situated throughout the Borough.

We aim to sweep the town centres once a day, major routes once a week and other streets twice a year.

Educating

We carry out an annual Litter-Free schools award, sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, which aims to teach pupils the importance of maintaining a clean and tidy environment.

For over six weeks during the summer term, pupils are hard at work with litter pickers and sacks, ensuring their school’s premises are litter free, to earn the coveted award.

The schools are assessed on the cleanliness of their 

• approach roads
• driveway
• playing fields and
• around their litter bins and flowerbeds.

Each school is visited twice, once on an arranged day and once to carry out an unannounced spot check.

They are given marks for the cleanliness of the different areas and depending on their total score, each school is then given a gold, silver or bronze result.  

This year, 48 out of the borough’s 49 schools took part. Forty-three schools achieved gold awards, four gained silver and two bronze.

Enforcing

New powers have been given to local authorities to clamp down on envirocrime.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment bill gives councils additional legislative powers to combat the scourge of local environmental crimes such as abandoned vehicles, fly-tipping and discarded chewing gum. 

But although councils would be able to retain the money generated from fines for offences, the aim is to stop environmental crime happening in the first place.

What can you do?

Put your litter in a bin or take it home with you.

Most of the population voices their disgust at seeing litter in the streets. However, research by ENCAMS (the Keep Britain Tidy campaign group) shows that nearly every adult in the population drops litter in varying degrees.

The most frequently littered items were those that were seen as small and less harmful, such as

• small sweet papers
• apple cores
• cigarette butts and
• chewing gum. 

Eighty seven per cent of litter is caused by the public, and all sections of society are contributing.

However, most people do not consider that they are adding to the problem, but blame the following instead:

• Teenagers
• Education in schools
• The council
• Not enough bins
• Bins not emptied frequently enough
• Too much packaging and wrappings
• Not enough prosecutions
• Fines not high enough

Public Confessions!

Research by ENCAMS (October 2001) also shows that the public admits the most likely situation in which they would drop litter is when they are driving. They feel that they are non-accountable in a car and can’t be identified.

How wrong they are! We have successfully issued fixed penalty notices against two people who were spotted dropping litter from a car. 

People seen dropping litter from a car can be reported to our Help Line on 01737 276000. The vehicle’s details, incluing registration number, need to be given.

Report a problem!

You can fill in an online form to report a problem with the following issues:

• Report an abandoned cars
• Report unswept streets
• Report graffiti
• Report flytipping
• Report missed bins/recycling collections

or you can call our Help Line on 01737 276000.