Local Environmental Quality: litter
Food and drink litter
Reducing litter caused by 'food on the go' - a voluntary code of practice for local partnerships
As part of the Cleaner, Safer, Greener agenda, Government is introducing new measures and initiatives to improve local public space. This voluntary code is part of the continuing developments in this area.
This Voluntary Code developed by ENCAMS on behalf of Defra is the result of two years of research and consultation. It provides a framework for suggested action to help all concerned (the business community, local service providers and the public) to take responsibility to reduce the litter and waste that arises from selling and consuming food on the go and to improve areas for all.
Alun Michael, Minister for Local Environmental Quality, launched the voluntary code of practice for local partnerships on 22 November 2004 (replaced by updated version 6 December 2004):
- Reducing litter caused by ‘food on the go’: a voluntary code of practice for local partnerships (PDF) (388 KB)
The code is available on the ENCAMS site translated into Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati, Turkish, Punjabi and Chinese.
Legislation for dealing with fast food litter
Street Litter Control Notices (SLCNs) may be issued by local authorities where any type of litter, including fast food waste and packaging, is causing defacement of the street outside a particular premises. This measure enables the authority to place some responsibility onto businesses where there is a significant problem with this type of littering that has not been resolved.
Government is currently consulting on extending the types of premises for which an SLCN may be issued. Further information:
Chewing gum
See the chewing gum pages for information.
Further information is available on our Help page about downloading or reading PDF documents.
Page last modified: 23 January 2006
Page published: 9 July 2004