“"Well-maintained public places make neighbourhoods much more attractive for residents to live in, for visitors to spend time in and for business to invest in. Staff in our Neighbourhood Services are doing a great job and by working together towards a Clean North Ayrshire I am sure we can improve our environment a little more. Our network of volunteers in different groups collected more than 3200 bags of litter in 2025, open spaces such as parks and beaches - and will be important in our plans going forward. Enforcement is being strengthened and we hope this will deter residents from creating eyesores in the localities. We have some stunning coastline, beaches, parks and other areas to be proud of. It is not all doom and gloom – we already have high standards of street cleanliness, with a cleanliness score of 89.7% in 2025/26 in the Local Environmental Audit Management System (LEAMS) when the acceptable score level is 67. This is one of the highest scores we have recorded as a local authority, and I am confident that we can nudge this even higher by focusing on prevention and encouraging small changes in behaviour that will make a big difference. We would like to create a culture where it is not acceptable to drop litter, fly-tip or refuse to clean up after your dog. It is important that everyone realises litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling are environmental crimes."
North Ayrshire Council Launches Strategy to Enhance Civic Pride
New plan focuses on education, infrastructure, enforcement, and data to tackle litter, fly-tipping, and dog fouling across communities.
By Kirsty Lennox
••3 min read
AI
Generic image of a well-kept public park with tidy landscaping and a modern council building in the background, under a bright sky.
North Ayrshire Council has approved an updated strategy aimed at fostering greater civic pride by tackling litter, fly-tipping, and dog fouling through a multi-faceted approach.
North Ayrshire Council is set to enhance community spirit with a renewed strategy focused on combating litter, fly-tipping, and dog fouling. The Clean North Ayrshire: Litter, Fly-tipping and Dog Fouling Prevention Strategy 2026-2030 was presented at a recent Cabinet meeting, outlining four key priorities.
These priorities include education and awareness, aiming to foster positive attitudes through school programmes and public campaigns; improved infrastructure and community support, ensuring adequate bins and signage, promoting waste facilities, and supporting community clean-up groups; stronger enforcement, with the recruitment of two additional Environmental Enforcement Officers to target problem areas; and increased use of data and partnership learning to optimise resource allocation and collaborate with organisations such as Police Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Community partnerships are deemed crucial for the strategy's success. The Council has engaged with elected members, community groups, and residents, aligning the new approach with Scotland's National Litter and Fly-Tipping Strategy.
The strategy's actions will be funded through the existing budget, supplemented by an additional £1.496 million investment approved earlier this year for street cleaning, Streetscene equipment and operations, and a local grant fund for clean-up groups. The draft strategy was approved by Cabinet on 29 September.
Based on information from the official source: North Ayrshire Council (15/10/2026)
