Waveney District Council is responsible for the collection of litter from any area of public land within the district. The Council’s Cleansing and Environmental Services teams work together to take preventative measures, investigate incidents and the causes of littering, maintain collection facilities and clean up or remove waste.

What is litter?
Obvious examples of litter include crisp packets, leftover fast food and fast food wrappers, discarded chewing gum and similar items. According to legal definitions, it can also include small quantities of bagged domestic waste, dog fouling, cigarette butts, syringes and many other items.

Litter comes from a wide variety of sources as people go about their daily business. It ranges from retail shops, takeaway food outlets and the nighttime economy to domestic waste that is badly stored, not contained in a wheelie bin or put out for collection at the wrong time.

What do we do about it?
Waveney District Council is responsible for the collection of litter from any area of public land within the district, including litter in or around public ponds and lakes. There is no charge for this service.

General litter picking of public areas is carried out on a frequency basis, dependant on the use and needs of the area. Frequencies range from twice daily in town centres to monthly on rural roads.

Large concentrations of litter will be treated as dumped or fly-tipped waste will be investigated and cleared within one working day of reporting (visit the fly-tipping page for full details). If you wish to report larger concentrations of litter, please make a note of its location, the nature of the problem and the details of anyone you saw littering (e.g. a car registration number). Officers will investigate, to try and find out who is responsible and take appropriate action to get it cleared and try to prevent a recurrence.

Smaller amounts of litter will be removed during that area’s scheduled street clean. To find out when an street is scheduled to be swept, visit the Street Cleaning page of this website, or email cleansing@waveney.gov.uk

There are scheduled collections across the district, but we will also respond to any reports that suggest a clearance is required. This includes:

• cleansing of dog fouling from footpaths.
• provision, maintenance and emptying of street litterbins.
• removal, in emergencies, of any spillages, dead animals, discarded syringes or similar litter.

Littering and the law
The Council has a variety of powers to take legal action against landowners and the people who cause litter, to help encourage a more responsible approach and prevent the problem.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 strengthened the Council’s powers by enabling officers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for littering (the current level of the Fixed Penalty in the Waveney District is £80).

Legal powers available to the Council include:

• Requiring landowners to clear their land where it has become littered.
• Requiring people running fast food businesses to provide litter bins and to clear up litter generated by their business.
• Issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to people who cause litter (currently £80)
• Prosecuting people who litter (maximum fine £1000).
• Requiring landowners to clear litter from land where it provides food or harbourage for vermin.
• Requiring the joint owners of privately owned common courtyards and passageways to clear litter and refuse.

Why is littering a problem?
Litter is unsightly and if it is not removed an area can quickly look run-down, becoming more unsightly and discouraging others from taking care, starting a spiral of decline. Removal is expensive, as is dealing with the wider consequences of vermin, ill health and disease that can arise.

What can you do about it?
You can help to keep Waveney District tidy by disposing of your rubbish responsibly, and using the facilities provided. If there are no litterbins in the area, please take your litter home with you.

If you would like to organise a litter pick in your local area, please contact the Council’s Cleansing Team for advice and support. Full contact details can be found below.

Contact us

If you would like more information on the removal of litter or wish to request this service, please contact the Council’s Cleansing Team:
Email: operations@waveney.gov.uk  
Telephone: 01502 523468
In person: At any Waveney District Council local office.

If you would like more information about fly-tipping or have witnessed somebody depositing a large concentration of litter, please contact Environmental Services:
Email: Environment@waveney.gov.uk  
Telephone: 01502 523117
Write: Town Hall, High Street, Lowestoft NR32 1HS.

If you have any questions on recycling:
Email: recycling@waveney.gov.uk  
Telephone: 01502 523117

Consultation
If you have any ideas or suggestions as to how we can improve our services or the information we have provided, then we would be pleased to hear from you. The contact information you require is detailed above.