The word ‘litter’ can mean different things. It can be:
- As small as a sweet wrapper
- As large as a bag of rubbish, or
- Lots of items scattered around
Litter and dog waste bins
Cornwall Council has over 4,700 litter dog waste bins. We empty them regularly, so there’s no excuse for rubbish to become litter.
Private landowners are responsible for emptying any bins they provide.
When using litter and dog waste bins in Cornwall:
- Use the black bins for any litter including dog waste
- Use the red bins for dog waste only
If you notice a litter or dog waste bin that’s full or overflowing, please report it using the link below.
Report a full litter or dog waste bin
Why litter is so bad for us
Litter can:
- make our streets, beaches, parks and public spaces look dirty and uncared for
- leave us feeling down about where we live
- increase our fear of crime
- be a breeding ground for disease-carrying insects and pests that can spread illness to humans and animals
- create safety hazards for people and wildlife
- be bad for local businesses
Report litter on a street or beach that needs cleaning
If you see someone littering
You have the right to ask someone to pick up litter if you see them dropping it, but always prioritise your personal safety. The same advice applies if you see litter being thrown from cars.
Fines for littering
We want to encourage everyone to help Keep Cornwall Clean by not dropping litter. Our goal is to achieve a litter-free county and enforcing the law is an important part of achieving this. Authorised officers can issue fixed penalty notices for littering offences.
Find out more about littering fines
New litter and dog waste bins
The expense of installing and emptying a new bin adds up. Research shows that installing a new bin often doesn’t stop people from dropping litter or dog waste.
We don’t plan to add new litter bins on Cornwall Council owned or managed land.
If you notice a specific area becoming littered, please let us know. Our officers will monitor the area to maintain cleansing standards.