Litter and Dog Bin Policy
Crowland Parish Council
Litter and Dog Bin Policy
Crowland Parish Council has no legal duty to provide litter and dog waste bins, but it does have a shared duty to keep Council owned land and public highways clear of litter and refuse as far as practicable.
Since changes to the classification of waste, dog waste can be put into litter bins, and disposed of in the same way, so all waste bins will be regarded as dual waste bins.
Bins in the past, have been provided, maintained and emptied, as the main way of controlling the litter or dog waste problem that many areas experience.
Whilst Crowland Parish Council is committed to providing enough bins to help discharge its responsibilities under the Environmental Act 1990, bins will only be located in areas where it can be demonstrated that there is a genuine need and is economically viable to empty and maintain.
All locations must be approved by Crowland Parish Council
Purpose of this Policy
The purpose of this policy is to detail how the Council will deal with:
● Requests for new bins
● Empty & maintain existing bins
● Replace existing bins
New Bin Requests
Requests for new bins must be received in writing to Crowland Parish Council. The request must clearly determine why there is the need for a bin and include:
● Any current litter/dog waste issues
● Plan of the location for the bin
Due to the costs of installing, maintaining and emptying bins, we will fully assess all requests for new bins using the criteria detailed below:-
A site survey, to include the following criteria:
● Suitability of the location including the need to reduce street clutter, particularly in more sensitive locations such as Conservation Areas and near to listed buildings.
● Scale of the litter, dog waste problem – will it make a real impact on litter or can this be
addressed in other ways e.g. by enforcement.
● Number and location of existing bins in the area.
● Accessibility to disabled people.
● Cost of installation and costs for emptying the bin e.g. those in more remote areas can have disproportionate transport costs.
● The possibility of valid objections from neighbours.
Alternative arrangements:
Possible alternatives, including :-
● Changing the size/ type of existing bins in the area (e.g. dog bin to dual dog and litter bin)
● Moving an existing under-used bin to a different location.
Bins will only be installed on sites which are safe and where there is a genuine need for a bin. We will not install bins on private land or in a location which may encourage the disposal of trade waste.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes provision for the collection and disposal of commercial waste, and Crowland Parish Council expects businesses to provide and empty their own bins for the litter they create, including retail premises such as takeaways, fish & chip shops, kiosks, Dog Kennels & Dog Breeders etc.
Emptying and Maintaining Bins
Only those bins purchased and installed by Crowland Parish Council, or supplied by SHDC will be maintained and emptied.
Bins will be emptied on such a frequency that will prevent them overflowing. This will be based on their location and related to the intensity of use. The frequency will also vary according to the time of year and for special events.
Monitoring will ensure that these frequencies are enough.
All bins will be maintained to a standard that is fit for purpose e.g. plastic bins can suffer damage in some locations while metal bins can corrode and look unsightly.
When a bin is damaged or stolen, it will be replaced only if it meets the criteria above for new bins. Also any bins that have a history of constant vandalism will not be replaced.
The Council will aim to improve the effectiveness of individual bins through a program of removal and replacement, using larger capacity bins where required or combining separate dog and litter bins into one.
Crowland Parish Council will continually monitor the usage of bins to determine their viability. Bins not being used or used only infrequently, may be removed.