Suffolk Coastal has pledged to give the growing number of
volunteer litter pickers in the district its full support following
the success of the annual Suffolk Spring Clean.
So far this year over 2,700 residents, encouraged by the annual
Spring Clean and by the ‘don’t be a tosser’ campaign running on BBC
Radio Suffolk, have registered litter-picking activities with the
Council - up from 1,900 last year.
“As a Council we fully encourage and support local people’s
efforts to make sure our environment stays clean and green for
everyone who lives in or visits the district. For all the
local groups who take part in litter picking activities we can
provide gloves and plenty of rubbish and recycling sacks, and we
will arrange for the litter to be picked up and disposed of,” says
Andrew Nunn, Cabinet Member for the Green Environment.
“I am personally extremely grateful and proud that we have such
a large number of dedicated people in this district who are willing
to give up some of their free time to pick up the rubbish left by a
thoughtless minority,” continues Cllr Nunn.
Council and volunteer litter pickers can face an enormous
task. In the first five months of 2007 Council litter pickers
collected 812 sacks of the rubbish thrown from cars using the A12
and A14. That’s a total of around 2000 sacks, or 10 tonnes of
litter a year.
“I urge everyone to think about the effect that carelessly
throwing rubbish has on the environment that we all live in.
Please dispose of your rubbish responsibly - make sure you use a
rubbish bin, or, better still, take your rubbish home with you”
says Cllr Nunn.
Littering is against the law and anyone caught dropping litter
faces a Fixed Penalty Fine of £80, or court proceedings which could
result in a conviction and a fine of up to £2,500.
The penalties for fly-tipping are even heavier. Fly-tipping is
officially the act of illegally depositing waste onto any land
where there is no licence to accept waste. Anyone caught
fly-tipping could face a fine of up to £50,000 or up to five years
in prison. To report fly-tipping or dropped litter of any sort,
call Suffolk Coastal Services on 01394 444000.
SCS will arrange clearance from public land and attempt to catch
the person responsible. SCS can also provide a chargeable clearance
service for private landowners.
Some tips on how the public can cut down on litter:
- Never drop rubbish or leave it behind - take it home.
- Use a litter bin if there is one available – there are nearly
1,500 in the district.
- Recycle it if possible.
- Place your household waste and recyclables into the correct
wheeled bin if you have them.
- If you do not have the wheeled bins yet, tie your household
waste sacks and store them in a dustbin on your property to prevent
animals from ripping them open and scattering the contents.
- When you put out paper for the fortnightly recycling
collection, place the black sack on top of the paper.
- Avoid putting out your waste and recycling prior to your
collection day.
- Never leave general waste at local recycling points - it is
fly-tipping and is illegal.
- Please do not leave recyclables on the ground at local
recycling points. If the recycling banks are full, report them to
us on 01394 444000.
Anyone organising a litter pick and would like assistance can
contact SCS on 01394 444000 or complete the online registration
form on the Council’s website at
www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourhome/waste/springclean/.