You can set Enforcement on the litterbugs

Litter Enforcement is happening

According to a report in The Clerk magazine, 'Local authorities are issuing more fixed penalties than ever before - and people are paying up!'

I am compiling this article as someone who organised a local litterpick in my own village this summer, as part of CPRE's national Stop the Drop campaign. Lucky old me, I also live right next to the busy A43, and regularly pick up drinks cartons, crisp packets and beer cans from my front doorstep. Litter is a way of life for me.

Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Local Environment Quality, says: 'Communities are right to expect their council to take a tough stance. I'm encouraged to see that more local authorities are using the powers Government has provided to penalise people who are ruining our streets with thoughtless offences like littering.

'However, fixed penalty notices are only effective if local authorities take steps to ensure that they are paid - and, if they're not, that effective action is taken at local level. I'm pleased to see an increase in payment rates.'

In 2006/07 the total number of fixed penalty notices issued for litter rose by 32% compared with the year before, to a total of 43,624.

If your CPRE branch, or voluntary group, is gearing up to get an anti-litter campaign going, it might be worth asking how many fixed penalty notices for litter were issued by your own local authority!

The final word goes to Ian Clayton, deputy chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy:

'Our research has shown that the threat of a fine will encourage people not to litter, but people need to believe that they are going to get caught.'

Fiona Cowan 25/4/08
With grateful thanks to The Clerk magazine, March 2008 issue.

The Clerk is published bi-monthly by the Society of Local Council Clerks, at a cover price of £5 per issue or free as part of a Parish or Town Clerk's membership of the SLCC. For more details please click here.

Report car litter to KEEP BRITAIN TIDY!

Keep Britain Tidy is launching an excellent initiative to help deal with the blight of roadside litter. You can report anyone you see throwing litter out of their car by visiting the Keep Britain Tidy website.

Fiona Cowan 6/7/09

Supporting council action

Littering is essentially seen as a consequence-free crime. Local councils have the legal powers they need to take ennforcement measures, but the number of fixed penalty notices issued is relatively low. Some council workers are reluctant to undertake enforcement roles because negative public reaction can put them at personal risk.

Local councils report they have difficulty determining ownership of land, which is why on some pieces of land litter seems to languish eternally.

They also find it hard to engage volunteers, and to access information on effective design.

Research has shown that it is possible to 'design out' litter when proper consideration is given to the design of public amenities and environments, in addition to the strategic placement of litter bins.

To help overcome these difficulties, CPRE is hosting a series of regional litter summits for local authorities, to give councils the opportunity to share problems and solutions and ultimately have the tools to maintain and improve our local environmental quality on increasingly restricted budgets.

International evidence shows that the initiatives CPRE is lobbying for -

an integrated national campaign
consistent enforcement
anti-litter incentives such as bottle deposit schemes

- really do work and people's behaviour does change.

CPRE will keep campaigning until people wake up to the fact that spending over £2 million a day on clearing up waste is the biggest waste of all.

Reproduced with permission from the April 2010 issue of Fieldwork, CPRE's member newsletter.

Fiona Cowan
19 May 2010