Sandwell Council warns people to dispose of litter correctly or face a £100 fine

With lockdown easing, Sandwell has seen an upsurge in litter across parks and town centres. The Council has made several pleas asking people to take rubbish home or dispose of rubbish correctly – but too many people are ignoring these requests.

The Council has described the current behaviour of a small minority of people as “unacceptable” and warns of tough measures to help keep Sandwell tidy.

Sandwell Council’s environmental protection officers have been given the powers to issue £100 in fixed-penalty fines if people are caught littering our parks and streets. Enforcement officers patrol the six towns of Sandwell seven days a week and can enforce against those who throw litter from their cars as well as walking or picnicking in the parks.

Despite the hard work of street cleansing teams – some visitors to town centres are not respecting their local areas by waiting to find a bin. Instead litter is discarded on streets, making neighbourhoods look unsightly.

With more people returning to the streets following the lockdown, enforcement officers are on high alert. Officers will not hesitate to issue on-the-spot fines as part of the on-going attempts to keep Sandwell litter free.

A large contributor in the litter found on our streets is from people visiting fast food outlets. Pedestrians, and drivers especially, are being warned to take their items home with them if they cannot see a bin. Throwing rubbish from a car is never acceptable.

Fast food outlets are urged to maintain a litter free area around their premises.