Litter and fly-tipping offences
If you fly-tip or drop litter in Maidstone you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). This includes dropping chewing gum, cigarette butts and food waste.
Litter fines
You will have to pay £250 if you are caught littering but it will be reduced to £200 if you pay within 14 days. If you do not pay within 28 days, you could be taken to court.
You will be fined £500 if you litter:
- on more than one occasion
- more than one item
- hazardous waste
- from your vehicle
- in a watercourse
Fly-tipping offences
You will have to pay £600 if you are caught fly-tipping but it will be reduced to £520 if you pay within 14 days. If you do not pay within 28 days, you could be taken to court.
Fines of £1,000 with no early payment discount will be issued if :
- you fly-tip more than one item
- you fly-tipped in multiple locations
- you fly-tip hazardous waste
- specialist equipment is required to clear the fly-tip
You will be prosecuted if:
- the fly-tip is large and blocks a highway
- the fly-tip includes mixed hazardous waste or asbestos
- you are a commercial waste carrier operating illegally
FPN disagreement
If you are accused of an offence, you will usually be issued with a FPN. They are issued instead of us taking you to court and if you accept the fine, no further action will be taken.
You cannot appeal against a fixed penalty notice. If you do not accept the fine, you can ask for the matter to be heard in court. If you do wish for the matter to be dealt with this way, you risk, if found guilty, a criminal record, a greater fine, court costs or even prison.
This will also apply if you fail, or you refuse to pay the FPN.
We are not required to place signs in streets, parks or open spaces. You will still have to pay if there are no signs about litter patrolling. Campaigns such as Keep Britain Tidy help to promote anti-littering. If you can not find a bin, you must take your litter home or wait until a bin is available.