HomeLitter fines and enforcement
Our enforcement team is responsible for enforcing laws relating to litter and waste. We also give advice to businesses about waste disposal and to the public about littering and dumping.
Under the Litter (Northern Ireland) Order 1994, it's a criminal offence to drop litter or dump rubbish.
This means we can fine or prosecute offenders.
If you drop litter or dump rubbish, you may face the following penalties:
- a £50 fixed penalty notice
- a fine of up to £2,500 for more serious offences.
Litter fines
Fixed penalty littering fines
We'll issue a fixed penalty fine of £50 to anyone who we detect littering. If you pay this fixed penalty we won't prosecute you for the offence.Paying the fine
You must pay the fine within 14 days to avoid the possibility of prosecution. If you need additional time to pay the fine, please write to us at the address below as soon as possible after you receive it. We can't accept payment by instalment, however, we may be able to allow more time beyond the 14 days.How to pay
You can pay by postal order or cheque made payable to Belfast City Council and send it to the Director of Health and Environmental Services at the address below.You can also make a cash payment at our office, Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4.30pm, at the address below.
Cleansing Services
Floor 5
9 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3LP
Disputing a fixed penalty
If you want to dispute the fixed penalty fine you need to write to us as soon as possible after it has been issued.In this letter you should:
- quote the fixed penalty notice reference number (in the top right corner of the notice)
- include all relevant information in your letter of dispute
- send it to us, at the address above.
If you don't pay a fixed penalty
If you don't pay the fixed penalty you'll be summonsed to appear in court, and if convicted you face a fine of up to £2,500. Once a summons is issued we may accept payment of the fixed penalty. However, you'll also be liable for the additional administration and legal costs incurred. These additional costs will be at least £41.Figures for littering offences
2011
The table below shows the number of fixed penalty notices we issued to litter offenders in 2011.| Date | Number of fixed penalty notices issued |
|---|---|
| January | 126 |
| February | 163 |
| March | 199 |
| April | 117 |
| May | 89 |
| June | 113 |
| July | 81 |
| August | 135 |
| September | 151 |
| October | 190 |
| November | 167 |
| December | 128 |
| Total | 1,659 |
2005 to 2010
The table below shows the number of fixed penalty notices we issued to litter offenders in from 2005 to 2010.| Year | Number of fixed penalty notices issued |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,924 |
| 2009 | 1,139 |
| 2008 | 1,844 |
| 2007 | 1,642 |
| 2006 | 1,299 |
| 2005 | 1,479 |
