Litter and Street Cleansing

Even the prettiest of places can look ugly due to litter and Shetland is no exception. Besides being an eyesore, litter can also be a health risk and a hazard to wildlife.

Litter can be prevented by using litter bins for rubbish when you are out, if the nearest bin is full then hold onto the rubbish and put it in the next one. If you are in a car please do not throw rubbish out the window, instead wait until you have an appropriate bin to place it in. You can also stop unsightly scattering of rubbish by covering black bags appropriately to keep out wildlife.

The cleansing service is responsible for litter bins and street cleansing in Shetland, you can help us by reducing litter and bringing problem areas to our attention. To contact us phone 01595 744800 or email cleansing@shetland.gov.uk.

There is an annual spring clean throughout Shetland called the Voar Redd Up organised by the Shetland Amenity Trust. For further information contact the Shetland Amenity Trust on 01595 694688.

For further information about anti litter campaigns in Scotland see Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Monitoring Cleanliness

All local authorities in Scotland are involved in a programme managed by Keep Scotland Beautiful called the Local Environmental Audit and Monitoring Systems (LEAMS) which is aimed at measuring and improving cleanliness standards throughout Scotland.

The combined LEAMS scores for Shetland in 2012 was 75, well above the 67 score pass, as you can see from the pictures above this takes a lot of hard work from the Cleansing Department staff. For further information on LEAMS and CIMS see Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Legislation and Fixed Penalties

Dropping litter can result in a £50 fixed penalty notice, the police and some Shetland Islands Council officers have the authority to issue fixed penalty notices to offenders. For further information on litter laws see Keep Scotland Beautiful.