South Staffordshire District Council (SSDC) is embarking on a campaign with Wolverhampton Council and Staffordshire Police using the hashtag #throwitthursday to highlight the impacts of littering around the district.
Although the vast majority of people would say that they never drop litter, it is clear that some people do, and this has an impact on other people, on wildlife and the wider environment.
Many wouldn’t regard a cigarette butt thrown from a car window or dropped down a drain as littering, however they are incorrect and dropping it could result in a £500 Fixed Penalty Notice or even a criminal record.
We’ve heard all sorts of excuses from people caught littering, from “it’s not their fault because there wasn’t a bin next to them” and “it’s not their fault because modern cars don’t have ash trays”. We’ve even been told “it keeps people in work because they have to litter pick!” Whatever the situation, if you create rubbish, it is your responsibility to get it into a bin, whether it’s a street bin or your bin at home.
Here’s some interesting facts about litter:
- Often, litter is the result of secretive or guilty behaviour. If an individual's family doesn’t know they are drinking, eating junk food or smoking, they drop litter to hide it when they think no one is watching
- If you witness someone dropping litter and have information which would identify them, we will gladly take action against them to try and keep our district cleaner. Do get in touch!
- When we receive money from Fixed Penalty Notices or court costs, this money is invested into initiatives to reduce and investigate environmental crime.
- Rubbish not only looks untidy, but food debris also attracts vermin.
- National Highways highlights that food debris thrown from car windows attracts wildlife to the roadside and contributes to wildlife deaths on roads.
- Roadside litter also causes traffic jams – if people need to litter pick busy roads, it is often necessary to close a lane to ensure their safety. Think how many people this can inconvenience!
There are ‘litter-ally’ hundreds of volunteer litter pickers who do a brilliant job of keeping their local areas litter free. People taking a pride in their surroundings really makes a difference. It can be very rewarding to see your local area free looking clean and tidy and don't forget the Litter Lotto app where you can potentially win prizes for your efforts!
You can follow our campaign in our weekly Resident Newsletter and on our socials; X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.