Street Cleansing Standards

Forest Heath District Council has a duty under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep public areas of land, as far as is practicable, clear of litter and refuse. Therefore, the Council is responsible for providing an effective and efficient street cleansing service in all areas of the district.

The district is divided into cleansing zones that are cleansed at different frequencies, based upon guidance set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Parts of the town centres receive a daily cleanse, whilst the outlying areas of the district are cleansed less frequently, up to a twelve weekly cycle in some places. This reflects the volume of traffic experienced in different parts of the district.

We currently employ 11 street cleaners and use channel sweepers, applied sweepers, blowers and litter pickers to clear litter and refuse from adopted highways and public spaces, such as parks and play areas.

The service aims to comply with the Environmental Protection Acts Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, which sets out various standards for street cleansing in different types of area within the district. We monitor performance using the DEFRA benchmark NI 195, which identifies the standards that we have achieved in relation to litter, detritus, flyposting and graffiti.

The street cleansing service is also responsible for the monitoring and arranging removal of and fly-tipping in the district. If an area falls below the standards required members of the public have the right to make a formal complaint and if the problem is not rectified take legal action. 

We can all play a part in reducing the amount of litter in Forest Heath. If you have any comments or suggestions of how to improve the service please let us know. This will help us make an adequate service good and a good service better.

If you are aware of any area within the district that is prone to litter problems or if you would like to make a complaint regarding the service we provide, please contact our Environmental Services team.

Cleansing monitoring

We have a duty to monitor the cleanliness of the district to demonstrate improvements in our standards of cleansing.

Related links:

Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse

Keep Britain Tidy

DEFRA