Litter

Report a litter problem 

To report dropped litter or to request a litter service from our waste team, please complete our online form. Choose the option for "Waste/Recycling" and then include information in the details section:

• Report litter form

Litter bins

We empty litter bins to the following timetable:

• town centre litter bins are emptied daily
• outer town area litter bins are emptied once a week
• all other litter bins are emptied once a week on refuse collection days

The government has set new standards which require councils to monitor the cleanliness of all areas open to the public whether they are private or publicly owned.

Don't drop it, bin it!

Litter is unsightly, unattractive and pollutes our environment. The council spends over £500,000 each year to keep South Oxfordshire clean, tidy and litter free.

In order to tackle the nuisance from litter bugs and reduce the expense, the council is spreading the message 'don't drop it, bin it'. The council wants South Oxfordshire to remain an attractive place for residents and visitors, rather than become an unsightly eyesore with lots of litter.

Helping you to help the environment

Many residents and local groups who take pride in their local environment support the council's work and help keep their area litter free.

To help these groups we can provide littering picking equipment that people can borrow throughout the year. Litter picking equipment includes: litter pickers, high visibility vests, gloves and refuse sacks.

Litter picking equipment needs to be booked out in advance by contacting the waste promotions team on tel 01865 409576 or email matthew.beesley@biffa.co.uk 

The council will collect bags of rubbish at pre-arranged points.

Dirty facts about litter

• It is illegal to drop litter under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
• It costs taxpayers in England and Wales £540 million a year to keep the streets clean. 
• 25 million bits of litter are dropped every year in the UK
• In South Oxfordshire, the council pick up over 1,500 tonnes of litter each year, which is equivalent to the weight of 10 blue whales!
• The amount of fast food litter on our streets rose by 12% in 2003 and this helped swell the rat population to 60 million!*

* National facts about litter from Encams