Wigan Council has warned that they ‘will not tolerate any dumping of rubbish’ after it emerged they spend on average £4 million a year dealing with litter and fly-tipping. This ‘huge societal problem’ was flagged in a survey taken by residents, businesses and communities who demanded a litter free borough.
In the past year, the council’s environment team have issued 54 penalty notices, 33 community protection notices and got five successful prosecutions in court, all in relation to littering and fly-tipping, the Confident Places Scrutiny Committee was told during their meeting at Wigan Town Hall on October 19. Councillors urged the environment to become stricter with fines in order to deter litterers and boost education in schools to prevent future issues.
Improved ‘binfrastructure’, enhanced monitoring, tougher enforcement, stronger partnerships with businesses, community action through volunteering, guidance to schools and colleges and adult education are the seven key objectives of the Litter Prevention Strategy for Wigan Borough.
