Litter

Litter is unsightly, costly to clean up, poses risks to public health and is harmful to the environment.

Please help us to keep Dacorum clean and tidy by not dropping litter and putting your rubbish in the bins provided or taking it home.

Penalties for littering

Littering is an offence if it has been dropped on:

• public land (such as a town centre or park)
• private land with public access (such as a garage forecourt or footpath across a field).

If caught littering, you could receive a £90 Fixed Penalty Notice or may face court action and a fine up to £2,500.

We work with District Enforcement to issue Fixed Penalty Notices.

Littering versus fly-tipping 

Littering: Small items such as a sweet papers, cigarette butts, drinks cans or lots of items scattered about.

Fly-tipping: Larger items - such as black bin bags, tyres and furniture - and/or greater amounts. Fly-tipping is a serious offence, which can result in an unlimited fine or even prison. Find out more about fly-tipping.

Reporting a litter problem

Report litter

We clean streets regularly, but if you see someone littering or spot excessive litter, report it online. We will clear it as soon as possible.

Report litter

Report littering from a vehicle

If you see litter thrown from a vehicle, note down the vehicle registration number. Email it to ecp@dacorum.gov.uk, along with any other information you have, such as:

• Vehicle make, model and colour
• Location and time
• Items discarded
• Dash cam footage (if available)
• Description of the offender (for example, passenger/driver age, hair colour, clothing).

Please note: For us to take action, witnesses will need to provide a formal statement and may need to attend court.

Report a full litter bin

We empty litter bins twice a week. If a bin becomes full before its scheduled collection, please report it online. We’ll empty it as soon as possible.

Report a full litter bin

Report a damaged or missing litter bin

If you see a damaged or missing litter bin, please report it online:

Report a damaged or missing litter bin

Organise a litter pick

If you would like to carry out a litter pick in your area, we can loan you equipment. Visit our community litter picks page for more details.

If you'd like to litter pick on a regular basis, you can register as a Street Champion. We'll give you your own litter-picking kit.