Should the council use private company to fine people dropping litter?

[Cyclone 10]

We should have a compulsory deposit scheme on bottles and cans, 20p per item, that would massively reduce the littering of them.

[kaytie 11]

Time I spent in New York years ago bottles had a small refund sum when returning them to shops,. All the bag people used to collect any discarded in streets or the park to make a few cents!

[geared 318]

Rotherham have employed a private company to prosecute people dropping litter and fines have gone up from three hundred in 3 years to four thousand this year. Drop litter you get an 80 quid fine. This includes fly tipping and dog mess.

 

I am usually against this sort of thing but in this instance I am all for it. Bloody scrubbers dropping litter, the city is a mess.

 

Should Sheffield adopt this strategy?

 

Given that the council are facing pretty big budget cuts it seems like a waste of money, the only pulled in 4 grand with is pittance for the cost of employing this company.

 

How many people are employed patrolling the streets? Gotta be a team of them? Handing out the odd fine and doing nowt else?

Would be better to just employ a few more litter pickers, doesn't educate the public but at least they'd clean up the mess!

[Cyclone 10]

Given that the council are facing pretty big budget cuts it seems like a waste of money, the only pulled in 4 grand with is pittance for the cost of employing this company.

The company almost certainly runs the contract for a fee based on results, the results of course bring in fines, so I expect that it's a zero net cost to the council at worst, and actually makes a return at best.

 

How many people are employed patrolling the streets? Gotta be a team of them? Handing out the odd fine and doing nowt else?

Would be better to just employ a few more litter pickers, doesn't educate the public but at least they'd clean up the mess!

 

A 'few' fines can more than pay for the people who are handing them out.

[vwkittie 10]

Yes absolutely, and anyone caught flytipping should have all their vehicles taken away and crushed.

 

People dropping litter should all be made to do community service picking litter as well as being fined.

[Elmambo 25]

Yes absolutely, and anyone caught flytipping should have all their vehicles taken away and crushed.

 

People dropping litter should all be made to do community service picking litter as well as being fined.

 

Absolutely agree. I would go further, I suggest a public whipping or removal of a limb for offenders caught engaging in this horrifying practice - I'm sure a private company could be found to do this. They would think twice about doing it again. We should show the world how a civilised country solves it's problems.

[Gideon 10]

They do this up in Huddersfield, the results are interesting. Revenues from litter fines are up, but so are complaints of excessive and heavy-handed tactics by the private company involved, like following people around to see if they drop anything, lying about seeing smokers drop butt loudly and publically, the usual crop of "accidentally drop something, but immediately pick it up, and the litter inspectors swoop" and so on. Complaints to the council get told to "complain to the company" who then trot out the usual denials and non-apologies. Which is basically privatised council services all over, really.

 

It works, if all you're interested in is revenue.

[willman 10]

They do this up in Huddersfield, the results are interesting. Revenues from litter fines are up, but so are complaints of excessive and heavy-handed tactics by the private company involved, like following people around to see if they drop anything, lying about seeing smokers drop butt loudly and publically, the usual crop of "accidentally drop something, but immediately pick it up, and the litter inspectors swoop" and so on. Complaints to the council get told to "complain to the company" who then trot out the usual denials and non-apologies. Which is basically privatised council services all over, really.

 

It works, if all you're interested in is revenue.

 

But it does protect the council - who would otherwise be brow beaten by the media or the lefties to rethink the policy or abandon it.

 

I have a similar issue with advertising boards nailed to posts and fences - but it isn't litter until it hits the floor apparently.

[AmberLeaf 10]

But it does protect the council - who would otherwise be brow beaten by the media or the lefties to rethink the policy or abandon it.

 

I have a similar issue with advertising boards nailed to posts and fences - but it isn't litter until it hits the floor apparently.

 

Depends what they're advertising. If it's a poster to find a missing cat, then It's ok.

[alchresearch 215]

They do this up in Huddersfield, the results are interesting. Revenues from litter fines are up, but so are complaints of excessive and heavy-handed tactics by the private company involved, like following people around to see if they drop anything, lying about seeing smokers drop butt loudly and publically, the usual crop of "accidentally drop something, but immediately pick it up, and the litter inspectors swoop" and so on. Complaints to the council get told to "complain to the company" who then trot out the usual denials and non-apologies. Which is basically privatised council services all over, really.

 

We've had exactly the same on the Wirral.

 

Some have complained that how were they supposed to know they weren't allowed to throw fag ends on the floor, in the gutter or down the drains.

 

But others have been fined for dropping bread for birds, or not been given adequate time to pick up something tiny.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/now-litter-squad-handing-out-13392844

[philyyy 10]

Because just like every other outsourced service a private company can run it for a hell of a lot cheaper than it would be to employ directly.

 

Whenever you are talking about taxpayer money its always about the bottom line.

 

Councils have to follow so many silly recruitment rules otherwise it might make sense to keep it in house. How does a private company really manage it more cheaply? Minimum wage?

 

Yes I think it's a good idea.

 

Private companies manage their business much better than the council ever seems to manage their business.

 

I recently challenged a young lady for throwing her cigarette butt out of the window. She said she always did it and didn't seem to realise it was littering. So it sounds like some education / advertising is needed to pre-warn people of the fines.

 

Terrifying.

 

I regularly litterpick a one hundred yard or so stretch of the road through Unstone, and usually collect a carrier bag full each time. Cans, bottles, fag packets are the main items.

 

Good work. I do one with a group once per month and there are The Sheffield Litter Picker pages on Facebook and twitter.

 

Given that the council are facing pretty big budget cuts it seems like a waste of money, the only pulled in 4 grand with is pittance for the cost of employing this company.

 

How many people are employed patrolling the streets? Gotta be a team of them? Handing out the odd fine and doing nowt else?

Would be better to just employ a few more litter pickers, doesn't educate the public but at least they'd clean up the mess!

 

A cleaner city is worth more than the money. Picking it up is a constant cycle, education needs to be paid for before that. Although I have no idea why some people would need educating to take their rubbish home rather than polluting the place.

[PRESLEY 1,230]

Because just like every other outsourced service a private company can run it for a hell of a lot cheaper than it would be to employ directly.

 

Whenever you are talking about taxpayer money its always about the bottom line.

 

Yeh and thats why we have endless Agencies treating workers like, you know what and Zero hour contracts ect.