(image from www.kentucky.com)
Local councils are commissioning private companies to police our streets in the battle to crack down on littering.
Councils from boroughs including Hillingdon, Bromley and Enfield have drafted in facilities management company; Xfor to issue fines to nuissance litterbugs. However, the one thing they don’t issue, is warnings. It’s reported that the private company receives £45 for every fine they administer.
Xfor work with 13 councils across England and Wales and are about to start a new contract with Croydon in the coming months, with many others in the pipeline.
Islington Council is the fourth top issuer of fines in London and delivered a whopping 2,348 fines last year alone compared to neighbouring boroughs Hackney and Camden who issued just 122 and 78 fines respectively. Councils insist that keeping streets clean is a very high priority.
94% of litter fines are made up of smokers dropping cigarette butts, but only a few councils in London provide disposal bins which leaves many smokers unsure as to where to dispose of their butts. Kerry Barrass, 26, admin assistant said: “I know it’s littering and I always get scared about doing it [dropping cigarette butts on the floor]. It would be much easier if there were more bins and ashtrays around… I think smokers are targeted by those people as they are an easy catch”.
Xfor have fined people £80 on the spot for dropping bank cards, banana skins, pens and nut shells whilst fining smokers up to a colossal £250 for dropping a cigarette butt. Furthermore private companies such as Xfor don’t report to anybody and consequently there are very limited appeal options for those who think they have been wrongly fined.
Barrass also added: “I think its extreme to fine people on the spot without any warning. I’d actually agree if it was maybe £10-£20, it would discourage me, but then I don’t think it’s fair to introduce fines without first giving people more places to dispose butts… and from my point of view hiring outside companies makes it a money making scheme rather than a clean-up operation, the councils are stretched as they are without ‘litter police’”.
Lara Jezeph, a spokesperson from Xfor argued: “Xfor partners with Local Councils to help tackle Environmental Crime from fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour to littering and dog fouling. This is a bespoke service that is different for every council depending on their concerns/requirements. We are a resource for the council and with the budget cuts in place for them we are offering a way to keep tackling environmental crime without having excessive fees which would ultimately lead to the taxpayer having to pay. The only people having to pay for this service are the offenders.”
There is over 7,000 tons of litter being dropped on our streets every year London boroughs are now looking for new initiatives to clean up our streets. Barrass adds: “I like those tiny little bins they have on lampposts which say ‘butts and gum’ or something. More of those would be good because they don’t take up much room and look tidy.”