Litter
What is a litter offence?
Litter is anything dropped, thrown down or deposited on land / water in the open air, including food wrappings, organic material, cigarette ends, chewing gum and other items of unwanted materials.
- It is an offence for anyone to drop litter in the street or in a public open space
- It is an offence to leave litter on a bench or street furniture
- It is an offence to throw litter from your vehicle.
If a person chooses to pick up litter that they dropped following the intervention of an enforcement officer, they may still be charged with an offence. Such action will be recorded by the officer and noted in the event of a subsequent prosecution.
How we manage litter
- We have provided over a thousand bins in Hackney for the proper disposal of litter, and spend over £1 million a year cleaning the streets.
- We undertake regular awareness campaigns with local businesses, residents and visitors to encourage appropriate disposal of litter.
- We can issue fines up to £2,500.
- We can also issue Street Litter Control Notices to businesses where there is a problem with any type of litter being deposited within the vicinity of the business.
Responsibilities of residents
Residents should
- place litter in the nearest bin or take it home.
- dispose of your cigarettes by stubbing it and placing it in the nearest litter bin or disposable ashtray.
Responsibilities of businesses
- Business owners should ensure their patrons, employees and contractors do not litter within 100 metres of their premises.
- Some practical measures can be implicated to manage litter problems more effectively, such as displaying posters advertising environmental awareness or providing more bins around your premises.
When litter is identified as originating from a particular business and is within 100 metres of the source (except in the case of cash vending machine, which is 10 metres), the Council will work in partnership with local businesses to resolve the problem. If the litter problem persists, a notice or a fixed-penalty notice of £110 will be issued. Failure to comply with the notice may result in a fine up to £2500.
More information
More information about waste and environmental issues can found on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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