Manchester City Council’s total money raised in litter fines over the past year neared £60,000, according to an article on Mancunian Matters, a substantial increase over the last several years.
Adam Payne wrote the exclusive article for the online local news site, which also noted that the total is greater than the value of fines handed down in the previous four years combined, testament to the council’s renewed focus on improving the urban environment for all residents and visitors to the city.
In 2014-15, 1,327 Fixed Penalty Notices were given out for littering offences, compared with just 35 the previous year – almost a 40-fold increase in the space of just 12 months.
City Crackdown
The dramatic rise is part of a city-wide crackdown on littering that started in November 2014, and has been accompanied by an increase in the number of public litter bins too, helping those visiting the city centre to dispose of their waste without the temptation to simply throw it on the floor.
A total of 700 new rubbish bins have been put in place across the city, with 40 recycling bins for recoverable waste to be separated from that destined for landfill, helping to increase the positive effects on the environment beyond simply removing litter from the streets.
Piccadilly Gardens, High Street and Market Street are the three main littering hotspots in the city centre itself, and officers can now hand out spot fines to people seen dropping rubbish in these areas, which of course are also among the busiest pedestrian areas in central Manchester.
The figures follow an article written by Councillor Kevin Peel earlier in the summer on the blog City Centre Voice, where he provided updates on the anti-litter crackdown, the number of new bins installed, and the actions taken against those people who think they can not only litter, but also refuse to pay the penalty.
Prosecutions
As of July 26th, he said 54 people who had refused to pay littering fines had been successfully prosecuted in Manchester Magistrates Court, and were fined nearly £10,000 between them, leaving some people with a criminal record as the legacy of their litter-dropping.
He said:
“The council would have an easier job keeping the streets clean if litter louts didn’t drop their rubbish in the first place. I wish we didn’t need this tough love but, until people get the message that rubbish is for the bin, not the street, we won’t stop.
“Residents are already commenting on the improvements to the city centre environment but we know we’ve got more work to do.”
It seems this is an issue that will not go away anytime soon – meaning many more residents and visitors to Manchester may face fines and even criminal records until the message hits home that this is a clean city, and those dirtying its face will pay the price for their actions.
Of course, individual instances of littering are just one side of the coin, and continuing crackdowns on fly tipping by businesses and illegitimate waste disposal firms will also be needed to eliminate unwanted rubbish on the city’s streets, wherever it may derive from.
