Wednesday, January 07, 2009
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LITTER GRADING

8.1

Introduction
8.1.1 There is no statutory definition of litter. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (s.87) states that litter is ‘anything that is dropped, thrown, left or deposited that causes defacement, in a public place’. This accords with the popular interpretation that ‘litter is waste in the wrong place’.
8.1.2 However, local authority cleansing officers and their contractors have developed a common understanding of the term and the definition used for NI 195 (and for the LEQSE) is based on this industry norm.
8.1.3 Litter includes mainly synthetic materials, often associated with smoking, eating and drinking, that are improperly discarded and left by members of the public; or are spilt during waste management operations.
8.1.4 Under Section 98(5A) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, certain discarded smoking-related materials (cigarette ends, etc.), and discarded chewing gum and the results of other products designed for chewing, are specifically stated to be items of litter. However, whilst both are litter when they are dropped (i.e. the dropper could be prosecuted under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for leaving litter), the standards in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse do not apply to trodden-in chewing gum. Duty bodies are not required to employ special cleansing methods to remove compacted gum or gum staining over and above normal cleansing regimes.
8.1.5 Litter may also include putrescible or clinical wastes, or faeces such as dog, bird and other animal faeces.

Note - This definition is aligned with the opinion of most members of the public who regard faeces - especially dog faeces - as comprising litter.
8.1.6 For the purposes of NI 195, recent leaf and blossom falls are excluded from the definition of litter.
8.1.7 Litter will be assessed separately from detritus using the grading system set out in the Code Of Practice On Litter And Refuse (COPL&R), issued under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

8.2

Definitions Of Litter Grades
  GRADE A - no litter or refuse
  GRADE B - predominantly free of litter and refuse except for some small items
  GRADE C - widespread distribution of litter and refuse, with minor accumulations
  GRADE D - heavily littered, with significant accumulations
  Three Intermediate Grades will also be used. These are:
  • B +, between Grade A and Grade B;
  • B – , between Grade B and Grade C; and
  • C –, between Grade C and Grade D

8.3

Assigning Intermediate Grades
8.3.1 The intermediate grades are not separately defined – they fall ‘in between’ the four grades defined in COPL&R. Because the spans in a four-point scale are so wide, intermediate grades are used when the quality standard on a transect neither conforms to the definition of an upper ‘whole’ grade nor that of the ‘whole’ grade below it.
8.3.2 The B + Grade
For example, if just two or three cigarette ends are trapped within paving joints the transect cannot be graded as ‘A’ (free from litter), but neither is it truly a ‘Grade B’. In this instance, where the reality for most members of the public passing through the area is that the transect is effectively free from litter, a Grade B+ is awarded because the standard in the area is neither an ‘A’ nor a ‘B’.
8.3.3 The B – Grade
Similarly, there are many cases where the conditions on a transect fall somewhere between a Grade B (‘predominantly free of litter except for some small items) and a Grade C (widespread distribution of litter, with minor accumulations’).
8.3.4 The clearest example would be where there is a marked difference in standard between one side of a transect and the other, to make an overall judgement on grading. For example, if one side is Grade B and the other is Grade C, then a Grade B – is assigned.
8.3.5 However, many cases will not be as clear-cut as this. It may simply be that some parts of a transect may reflect the characteristics of a Grade B, while others are closer to a Grade C. For example, there might be just one minor accumulation of litter, and there are some small items of litter scattered over the rest of the transect.
8.3.6 Another example could be where there are no actual accumulations of litter on a transect, but there is a number of larger pieces of litter that would be very noticeable to members of the public.
8.3.7 The B – Grade is designed to cover such situations.
8.3.8 The B – Grade is particularly important in the context of the NI 195 survey, because it shows that standards are close to being satisfactory. That is why, from 1st April 2008 onwards, it will be given only half the weight of Grades C, C – and D in calculating an authority’s NI 195 score for litter.

8.4

Why Use Intermediate Grades?
8.4.1 The use of intermediate grades offers a number of benefits:
8.4.2 It means that grading assessments can give a more accurate picture of conditions on a transect, where these fall somewhere between the four defined grades described in COPL&R.
8.4.3 In particular, it gives better management information to local managers where there is only a small shortfall in standards below a Grade B, or where a transect is almost, but not quite, clear of litter.
8.4.4 In some cases, local authorities have either devised a system of intermediate grades for themselves, or have requested that one should be devised. For example, the B+ Grade was specifically requested by some authorities in order to give more flexibility in assessing situations where cleansing standards were higher than a Grade B, but the transect being surveyed was not absolutely clean (see para 8.3 above).
8.4.5 The seven-point scale, therefore, has been devised in response to this collective experience, and it is inherently more flexible and robust than a 4 point scale.
8.4.6 The seven point scale has been used on a wide range of sites in the UK and elsewhere in Europe since 1993, and has proven itself to reflect standards more accurately from both service providers’ and customers’ perspectives.