Page 11 - Litter Toolkit

2.3

Litter at School

Litter has a visual impact, so it’s easy to see how a
playground full of crisp packets, drinks containers and
chocolate bar wrappers can give a bad impression of
the whole school. Badly littered schools can generate
complaints from local residents and businesses, be
demoralising for staff and pupils, can attract vermin
and be dangerous due to broken glass or cans on
school grounds.

Schools have a legal duty to clear the litter and
refuse from their own grounds and can be forced to
clean up if necessary by their local authority. A Litter
Abatement Notice can be served on the Chairman of
the Board of Governors and fines can be imposed if
this does not happen.

A school, however, has no legal responsibility for
clearing the litter outside its grounds. It is the duty of
the local authority to clean streets and other public
places.

If your school notices accumulations of litter in a
public place you can report it to your local authority.
Be specific about location, type and the amount of
litter. Some local authorities have litter ‘hotlines’. If
the litter has accumulated on private land, contact
the local authority in the first instance to see what
help they can provide, although litter removal from
private land is the responsibility of the landowner.