Litter

We are responsible for keeping public highways, verges and council owned land clean. We are not responsible for removing litter from private areas of land.

If you think we may have missed one of our scheduled sweeping visits, please let us know:

Online Street Sweeping Request Form

Once a problem is reported, we will take a look and, if necessary, arrange for the area to be cleaned. Please note, street cleansing requests on fast roads such as the A23 may need to have special arrangements as the roads are in constant use. Some roads may need road closures which will require traffic control in conjunction with West Sussex Highways.

Litter can be anything from a small crisp packet or sweet wrapper to large bags of rubbish. It's unsightly, can cause environmental problems and dropping litter or throwing it from a vehicle is a criminal offence.

Anyone caught dropping litter can be fined under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 - Offence of Leaving Litter.

Street litter bins are installed and owned by the local Town or Parish Council and we empty the bins. If you think we might have missed a litter bin collection let us know.

Report a missed litter bin

Dog waste bins on Council land are funded by the Council. Dog waste bins on land owned by others are funded by the land owner. For example, Town and Parish Councils, West Sussex County Council and South East Water. If you find a dog bin which has not been emptied, then please note the number painted on it before contacting us.

Report a missed dog bin online

For more information on dogs in our parks and open spaces visit our Dogs page.

You can help keep Mid Sussex tidy by:

• Always using litter bins when you’re out and about
• If you cannot find a litter bin or it is full, take your rubbish home with you

You can also organise or take part in local community clean up events.

We can also loan litter picking equipment and other items to support clean-up events in your community. We can also remove the litter gathered at your event. You can borrow adult and children high visibility jackets, adult and children litter pickers and general waste sacks.

You are expected to arrange your own Public Liability Insurance (to the value of £5 million) and supply an operational risk assessment for your event before we can confirm loan of equipment or give permission for the litter pick to take place on the Public Highway or Council-owned land. This is to make sure the event is being run safely.

Please email the waste team at wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk with a minimum of ten working days prior to the event. This is so we can ensure the equipment is allocated and the correct documentation can be checked. You are advised to wait for confirmation from us before advertising your event as further information may be required and this could take longer than ten working days.

The Council will contact the organiser regarding the returned equipment in case any is damaged or missing as there may be a charge for replacements.

Mid Sussex District Council will not accept any liability for any damage to property or accidents/incidents that occur involving persons whilst the above equipment is being used.