Street Litter

Litter in a public place is unsightly, dangerous to animals, and an offence and ranges in size from a single sweet wrapper, to a bag full of rubbish.

All area's within the Borough are cleaned to the standards defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The code is concerned with how clean land is rather than how often is it swept, in simple terms 'If it isn't dirty, don't clean it'.

Four standards of cleanliness are defined in the code of practice as shown below:

Grade A - No litter
Grade B - Predominantly free of litter
Grade C - Widespread distribution of litter with minor accumulations
Grade D - Heavily littered with significant accumulations

The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 states that if a person drops, throws, deposits, or leaves anything that causes defacement in a public place, they are committing a littering offence. So always try to use a litter bin or take it home.

The Council in partnership with Northamptonshire Police have accredited officers who now have powers to issue fixed penalty notices in respect of litter, flytipping, dog fouling, graffiti and fly-posting. The average fine for littering is around £95, but can be up to £2,500.

 In the town centre there are over 80 litter bins and each is emptied at least daily. There are also separate bins in the parks and public open spaces for bagged dog waste.

Laste Reviewed 12/01/2010