HomeDon't be a litter piggy!
On 1 April 2012, under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (often referred to as the Clean Neighbourhoods Act), the fine for dropping litter increased to £80.
The Act also gives us new enforcement powers around littered properties, litter from businesses and leafleting.
We want to make Belfast a cleaner and brighter place to live or visit by encouraging people to put their litter in a bin.
Four Litter Pigs
As part of our on-going anti-litter campaign we've launched a new set of advertisements called 'Litter makes a pig of you'. These ads are designed to highlight how filthy littering is by using a play on the words of the nursery rhyme 'This little piggy'. In our ad we have highlighted the socially unacceptable behaviour of 'Four Litter Pigs' and shown the consequences of this behaviour – litter on the streets and a £80 on-the-spot fine for dropping litter!Our anti-litter campaign is now in its eighth year. Research shows it's had a very positive impact on littering behaviour - in fact, the number of people who admit to dropping litter has fallen by 14 per cent. But we want to build on this and we'll continue to spread the anti-litter message through these ads, our community and education work and enforcement, where necessary.
When we asked people why they didn't put their litter in the bin, the most common excuse was 'I can't be bothered' or 'I couldn't find a bin'. But there is no excuse for not binning your litter. For those who don't want to change their behaviour, they can look forward to a £80 on-the-spot fine. Last year we issued nearly 2,000 fixed penalty fines to litterers across the city.
This short video shows some of the most common excuses people give for littering.
Don't forget - if you are caught littering, you can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of £80.
