6 February 2007
Fixed penalty fines are being issued under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to people for littering and to people for not picking up their dogs poo and disposing of it properly. Eastbourne Borough Council takes the issue of keeping their town clean very seriously.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet spokesperson for the Environment Councillor David Elkin says, “We have been telling people they risk being fined for many months now. If people blatantly discard their litter or do not pick up their dogs poo they can expect a fine if they are caught. We want to keep Eastbourne a clean town and if we have to enforce through fines we will.”
Dropping litter is anti social and you can receive a fixed penalty notice on the spot through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. Many items take a long time to degrade with every cigarette butt that is dropped taking up to 12 years for it to degrade. Other items can take just as long –
Paper 2-5 months
Orange peel 6 months
Cigarette butts 1-12 years
Plastic coated paper cartons 5 years
Plastic bags 10-20 years
Leather shoes 25-40 years
Nylon fabric 30-40 years
Tin cans 50-100 years
Aluminium cans 80-100 years
Plastic six-pack holder rings 450 years
Glass bottles 1 million years
Plastic bottles Never
