Litter and littering

We are working to keep Chesterfield free of litter.

'Litter' is rubbish that is dropped or left without permission.

As well as common items like food or drink wrappers and containers, litter can include chewing gum, cigarette ends, matches, and bags of dog mess. Even 'biodegradable' waste such as apple cores or bird feed is classed as litter if it is dropped without permission.

Some packaging can take years to degrade and litter doesn’t clean itself away – this can cause damage to wildlife and habitats, and can attract pests such as rats, mice and pigeons.

Find out about:

Litter bins

There are litter, recycling and dog waste bins across Chesterfield - to help keep our streets, parks and other public places tidy.

If you are out and about and you can't find a public litter bin please take your rubbish with you and put in your wheelie bin at home.

If you see a problem with a public bin (for example if it is broken or overflowing) please report it here.

Litter management on private land

Landowners are responsible for cleaning up private land.

We work closely with land managers to ensure they control litter on their car parks and landscaped areas.

Takeaway food businesses can also be required to keep the street clean up to 100 metres away.

We don't clear away litter on private land, but we can take enforcement action to make sure that landowners keep their land free of litter.

Littering and enforcement

It is an offence to leave or throw litter anywhere, unless you have permission from the land owner.

If you see someone dropping litter (or throwing it from a vehicle) don't approach them and don't put yourself at risk.

Make a note of the date, time and location. Details of the vehicle, registration number, and the person doing it are also helpful. Report the littering to us as soon as you can. Please don't remove any physical evidence from the site of the littering.

We will investigate and take action against people responsible for littering, whether it is on public or private land.

Enforcement officers carry out regular patrols in parks and open spaces and will challenge people who drop litter. Anyone caught littering can be issued with a fixed penalty notice - if they don't pay they face a court prosecution and a substantial fine. Find out more here.

Report litter or littering

Let us know if you see a litter problem.

You will need to tell us the location of the litter or be able to mark it on a map.

Please give us as much information as you can to help us find it - you can send us a photo, but don't take photos if you feel it isn't safe.

If there is any broken glass, needles or syringes we will prioritise cleaning the area.

If rubbish was left behind when your bins were emptied you can report it here.

Derbyshire County Council is responsible for litter problems on dual carriageways - report a problem on the A61 or A617 here.

Report a litter problem

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What we can do

We clean up litter in public places such as streets, parks and other open spaces. If there is any broken glass, needles or syringes we will prioritise cleaning the area.

We will investigate and take action against people responsible for littering, whether it is on public or private land.

What we can't do

Landowners are responsible for cleaning up private land.

Derbyshire County Council deal with cleaning the A61 and A617 dual carriageways. Report a problem to Derbyshire County Council.