Did you know?
- According to national statistics, taxpayers spend over £500m a
year to clean the streets;
- Around a third of all fires are caused by accumulations of
litter; and
- Thanks to the growing presence of dropped food, the rat
population now stands at approximately 60 million.
What is
litter?
Litter has a broad definition. As well
as wrappers, cans, bottles or packaging, it also includes
food, cigarette ends, chewing gum and larger items such as
bags of rubbish.
What is not classed as litter?
Vegetation which
is overgrown, leaves or weeds are not classed as litter as they are
naturally occurring. This is known as detritus. Dog faeces are
classed as refuse and are subject to different laws.
What types of litter do people throw away in Forest
Heath?
In the Local Environmental Quality Survey, carried
in Forest Heath between March 2006 and April 2007, it was found
that the following were the most commonly discarded items of
litter:
-
83% of sites surveyed contained smoking-related
litter;
-
72% of sites surveyed contained confectionary packets;
and
-
51% of sites surveyed contained non-alcoholic drinks
related litter.
Why do people litter?
The most common
excuses for littering are:
-
Nowhere to put litter in a car;
-
The
area was already run down and dirty so littering doesn’t
matter;
-
Lack
of education and awareness about what to do with litter;
-
Not
being brought up to know any better;
-
Knowing litter will be cleaned up by someone else; or
-
Insufficent litter bins.
Is it an offence to drop litter?
The answer is YES.
Littering in a public place without clearing it up is a crime and
carries an £80 fine, or if taken to court can be a maximum fine of
£2,500. Prosecutions for littering are brought under the
Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 87 - Offence of Leaving
Litter).
What should I do if I see someone littering?
If
you see someone littering you should report it to the Council as
soon as possible. As a witness, it is important that you gather as
much information as possible about the incident - this should
include the time, location and a description of the litter and
litterer. If you are willing to say what you saw, you will be
required to give a statement to an Enforcement Officer.
If the case does go to court and there is a plea of not guilty, you
may be required to give evidence in court. However, it is more
common for cases to be dealt with by letter if the accused pleads
guilty. In some cases prosecution may not be necessary and a
caution from the council or police will suffice.
If you see litter being thrown from a vehicle onto public land,
this is also an offence and the same details should be recorded
including the vehicle registration, and whether the driver or
passenger threw the litter.
What should I do with
any litter I accumulate?
First find a litter
bin. If there are no bins around, take the litter home. Find
your nearest litter bin by
clicking here.
Who is responsible for clearing
litter?
Forest Heath District Council has a legal
duty to clear litter and refuse from public places for which it is
responsible, including streets, parks, playgrounds and
pedestrianised areas. If a piece of private land is littered, the
owner should accept responsibility for clearing the litter. But we
should all help by not dropping litter in the first place.
How is the Council working to reduce
litter?
Forest Heath District Council carry out over
900 street cleanliness checks throughout the District each year,
using National Indicator 195. These checks allow us to target our
cleansing schedules and maintain a high standard of street
cleansing throughout the district. Results from these checks, show
that the cleanliness of the district consistently scores above
the national average. In addtion the results are used to assist in
the following:
Where can I report problems or
incidents?
Telephone: Environmental
Services on 01638 719284
Email:
sort-it@forest-heath.gov.uk
General information is also available on the following
website(s):