You could be fined up to £150 for dropping a cigarette under new litterbug laws that could also see drivers held responsible for passengers hurling garbage out of your car
Measures are part of national litter strategy in wake of figures which show Brits spend £778m on avoidable street cleaning
YOU could be hit with a fine of up to £150 for dropping rubbish, under new plans unveiled by the government.
Litter bugs who leave rubbish on the streets could face increased fixed penalties – while motorists could be fined if rubbish is thrown from their cars, whether from the driver or passenger.
The government also wants offenders on community service – including fly-tippers – to help clean up Britain’s streets.
The new measures are being consulted on as part of a national litter strategy, and will also see councils update “binfrastructure” with new designs and better distribution of public litter bins to make it easier for people to discard rubbish.
According to the government’s new strategy, street cleaning costs local authorities in England £778million – a significant portion of which was avoidable litter clean-up.
Four-fifths of Brits are angry and frustrated by the amount of litter found around the country, with between 28 and 30 per cent perceiving it as a problem in their area, the National Crime Survey found.
The new strategy will see the government work with Highways England to determine the 25 worst litter hotspots on the road network.
Officials also plan on creating a “green generation” by educating kids to pick up their litter and boost participation in national clean-up days.
The litter strategy aims to send litter bugs a “clear and consistent anti-litter message” – and the government plans on funding the initiative predominantly using funds from the private, public and voluntary sectors.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom is in hot water after exempting takeaway coffee cups from the new anti-litter “taskforce”.
The row threatens to overshadow plans to double fines for litter louts to £150.
The millions of disposable cups handed out each day have been left out of a list of the “worst kinds” of rubbish to be targeted by a Government backed "expert group".
The group will instead be charged with drawing up ways to cut plastic bottles, cigarette ends and fast food packaging – with ideas such as an eco-charge to encourage re-use.
A spokesman insisted coffee cups were already the subject of an industry recycling initiative and the Government didn’t want to duplicate the work.
But the Lib Dems and Labour branded it a “missed opportunity”.
Mary Creagh, the Labour chair of the Commons joint environment committee, said: “We know coffee cups are part of the litter problem on our streets and efforts to tackle them need to be looked at in the round.
“We cannot rely on industry and coffee shops alone to sort this out.”
Tim Farron, Lib Dem chief, said: “This litter plan is just rubbish.
“The Government have said a few things but are happy not to tackle the issue of coffee cups. Ministers who thought this would do the trick should be recycled.”
The Lib Dems called for a 5p charge on coffee cups last autumn.
The proposals also suggest penalties of up to £75 for motorists if anyone chucks rubbish out of the car.
Offenders on community sentences will also have to help councils clear fly-tipped waste – as first revealed yesterday.
And councils will be asked to waive charges at local dumps for households bringing in DIY waste.
Councils will also be asked to “better distribute” their litter bins – to make it easier for people to discard rubbish.
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Ms Leadsom said: “Litter is something that affects us all – blighting our countryside, harming our wildlife, polluting our seas, spoiling our towns, and giving visitors a poor impression of our country.
“Our litter strategy will tackle this anti-social behaviour by building an anti-litter culture, making it easier for people to dispose of rubbish, and hitting louts in the pocket.
"We want to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it and tackling litter is an important part of our drive to make the country a better place to live and visit."
Only a tiny fraction of the 8million cardboard coffee cups served up each day are thought to be recycled – because of a plastic lining designed to make the cups impermeable.
Experts warn this means it could take 30 years for the cups to decompose.
Local Government Association chairman Lord Porter welcomed the move to allow councils to fine the owners of vehicles that litter has been thrown out of, which is already in place in London.
He said: "Road litter is a big problem for councils at a time when they are experiencing significant budget pressures. It is difficult and expensive to clear rubbish from roadsides and it poses a clear environmental hazard, which impacts on wildlife.
"The current law states that councils have to prove who in the vehicle has thrown the litter out of the window, which is normally an impossible task.
"That is why it is important that councils can now fine the owners, making them legally responsible for the litter, regardless of who threw it."
He added: "Councils want to work with households so that they can dispose of reasonable household waste easily and cost-effectively and already provide a range of bulky waste collection services, which are often free and picked up from people's doorsteps."
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