Litter from businesses
Businesses have a responsibility to minimise packaging in order to reduce litter and protect the environment.
Sometimes litter in a street or other public place can be linked to a particular business, such as a takeaway. If there is a lot of litter, and it is a regular problem, we can require the business to control it through a community protection notice.
Businesses also have a responsibility to clear litter from their own land. If it’s a public place, for example a supermarket car park, and there is a lot of litter and it is a regular problem we can use the same powers to require them to clear the litter.
If a business fails to comply with a community protection notice, environmental health officers can issue a fixed penalty set at £100, or they can be prosecuted. The maximum penalty is an unlimited fine. We also have powers to clear the litter and recover the costs from the businesses.