Litter
Why is Litter such an important issue?
We are proud of our environment and are determined to crack down on the problem of littering and Dog Fouling once and for all.
As well as continuing our work to protect the outside environment for the benefit of all, which includes teams of staff working almost daily to pick up and clear the litter dropped by others, we will also educate and enforce.
We are working with schools, community groups and residents to remind them of the law, why it is important not to litter and the part they can play in protecting the environment.
Running alongside that is a zero-tolerance enforcement campaign, which means those who cause littering by dropping litter or allowing their dog to foul in a public place will, where possible, be identified, fined and even prosecuted.
If you drop any litter on the floor or throw it from your car, you will face a fine or potentially prosecution!
Request Enforcement Patrols »
Request Clearance of Litter »
Litter Facts & Information
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:
| Cigarette butts |
up to 12 years |
| Paper bags |
up to 1 month |
| Orange peel / Banana skin / apple cores |
up to 2 years |
| Plastic bags |
10 to 20 years |
| Chewing gum and glass bottles |
not biodegradable |
| Plastic bottles |
up to 450 years |
Every day we clear town centre streets and shop fronts of litter.
The worst offenders on our streets are:
We urge residents to help stamp out these problems.
More on Street Cleaning »
Litter Bag Dispensers
As part of our work to combat litter we have installed 9 bag dispensers at seafront locations across the district.
The bag stations are intended to encourage people who visit the seaside to do their bit and take their litter home.
The dispensers can be found at the following locations - litter bag locations
Fixed Penalty Notices
What if I drop litter in a public place?
Under the Environment Protection Act 1990 if you drop or abandon litter in a public place you have committed the offence of dropping and leaving litter, and therefore in line with our zero tolerance policy you will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 for the offence (reduced to £75 if paid within 10 days). Should you have been caught littering before in our district you may not be offered another Fixed Penalty Notice and may be prosecuted.
Who is liable for the fine?
Under the regulations anyone over the age of 10 years old who drops litter is eligible to receive a fine.
Where can I get fined?
If you drop litter in any open-air public place in the district then you will be liable to be served with a fixed penalty of up to £100. In order to make sure that you do not become liable for a fine, always place your litter in a nearby litter bin. If there is no litter bin around, then you must take the litter home with you and dispose of it correctly.
Pay your penalty notice online »
Alternatively see other ways to pay
What if I don’t pay my penalty notice?
If you have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice by one of the Council's Litter Enforcement Officers then under the terms of the fine you will be required to pay the charge within 14 days from the date the notice was issued.
Should you choose not to pay the fine within the 14 days we will look to prosecute via Court proceedings as part of the our policy to improve the environment and to reduce such crime within the district of Dover.
If you have been issued with a penalty notice for littering from a vehicle please see our littering from vehicle webpage:
Littering from vehicles
Contact Us
Email: envcrime@dover.gov.uk