According to Keep Britain Tidy over 25% of people admit to dropping litter. Around the country, litter-filled streets are spoiling communities and food litter in the UK has increased yearly in the last decade.
Litter is anything that is discarded that defaces a public place. It could be small like a cigarette end or bus ticket, large such as a box, or even hazardous like a syringe.
Any type of litter takes a long time to disappear naturally. According to Keep Britain Tidy the estimated timespan for items to degrade is:
- orange peel / banana skin / apple cores – up to 2 years
- plastic bags – 10 to 20 years
- aluminium cans / nappies – 80 to 100 years
- plastic bottles – indefinitely
Smoking-related litter
Since the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places, there has been an increase in smoking-related litter on our streets. According to a Keep Britain Tidy research report from 2008, cigarette ends can take anywhere from 18 months to 500 years to degrade.
Cambridge City Council is one of the local authorities working with Keep Britain Tidy, to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette ends responsibly. We are:
- increasing cigarette bin provision
- carrying out a local media campaign
- supporting the campaign with enforcement.
When it comes to disposing of your cigarette end, the message is: no butts - stub it, bin it.
Fixed penalty notices
Under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is a criminal offence to leave litter. A person is guilty of the offence if they throw down, drop or otherwise deposit and then leave any litter in or on land which is open to the air, including private land and land covered by water. This also includes throwing litter from a stationary or moving vehicle.
Leaving litter is a criminal offence and cases are heard in the magistrates' court. The maximum penalty upon conviction is £2,500.
For more information including specific penalty costs depending on the type of litter, please see the enforcement page in this section.
Litter clearing notices
Where private land is defaced by litter, the council may serve the occupier of the land with a notice requiring them to clear it, and take steps to prevent it from becoming defaced by litter again.
It is a criminal offence not to comply with such a notice, and the maximum penalty on conviction is £2,500. Failing to comply with such a notice can also result in a fixed penalty notice being issued.
Street litter control notices
The council can serve street litter control notices on the occupiers of certain business premises requiring them to clear litter from the footway and adjacent land within 100 metres of their premises. This is aimed at making businesses responsible for any litter that may have originated from their premises.
Such a notice can require the occupier to clear litter and to install and maintain litterbins for example. It is a criminal offence not to comply with such a notice, and the maximum penalty on conviction is £2,500. Failing to comply with such a notice can also result in a fixed penalty notice being issued.
Contact
To report littering, complete our online form or telephone 01223 458282.
