Liverpool has been branded a 'festival of litter' amid concerns at the scale of waste and dumping in the city.
A city councillor will bring a motion to next week's full meeting of the council, calling for urgent action to tackle litter and waste issues he says are blighting Liverpool. Lib Dem Councillor Richard Clein also said there are major issues with weeds on routes into the city and suburbs, particularly in district centres.
The motion, which will be debated and discussed at the town hall meeting next Wednesday, notes the hard work being done by the council's Liverpool Streetscene Services Limited team. He also praised the work of volunteers across the city who organise litter picks to try and keep on top of the growing problem.
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But in his motion, Cllr Clein will raise concerns that "only a small number of establishments with a premises licence in the city currently have conditions relating to outside waste." Further concerns will be raised about a "lack of enforcement", with just one fine issued for dog fouling and 10 prosecutions for fly tipping in the last 12 months.
Liverpool Council has made recent moves to try and get on top of what it accepts is a big issue. The council has partnered with Keep Britain Tidy and is rolling out new underground super bins in communities across the city.
But Cllr Clein wants more action. He is calling for the introduction and piloting of new technologies including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) mobile cameras and LitterCam, which can identify where the litter originates, at problem dual carriageways and junctions around the city.
He has also called for signs to be erected at litter hotspots with the message 'Don't be a tosser' to target those dropping rubbish. He is also calling for the recruitment of more enforcement officers with the ability to issue on the spot fines.
Finally, Cllr Clein wants the council to set up a 'Community Pride' scheme, which recognises the work of volunteers who are helping to clean up their communities with an annual Town Hall event where they are presented with a certificate and a “gold” litter picker by the Lord Mayor to recognise their achievements.
The full council meeting will take place from 5pm at Liverpool Town Hall on Wednesday September 21.
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