National Clamp Down on Scottish Litter Louts

Local authorities and Police Scotland unite on Enforcement Day.

Today is National Enforcement Day, co-ordinated by the country’s leading environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, aiming to raise the profile of enforcement, stressing to the public that dropping litter, flytipping and failing to clear up after their dog are all criminal acts.

Over 16,000 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for littering in Scotland during 2012/13, one for every 184 people. The Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for littering was increased from £50 to £80 and to £200 for flytipping in April this year. Local authorities and police officers across Scotland, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, will be prioritising enforcement between 6 and 12 June, issuing FPNs to anyone they see dropping litter, flytipping, or not picking up after their dog.

Half of the people in Scotland admit to littering at some point in their lives and 71% have seen someone else littering.

Carole Noble, Head of Environmental Services at Keep Scotland Beautiful said: 

"This is the seventh Scottish annual Enforcement Day, and we applaud the joined-up approach to raising the profile of environmental enforcement.

"With 700,000 items littered each day in Scotland we need a combined approach of education and enforcement. The day highlights that you can and will get fined for littering, which will continue to turn the tide on litter-dropping habits."