The Stirling streets worst hit by litter and fly-tipping

It can be disheartening to see the streets of your hometown strewn with food wrappers, dog mess and even old furniture.

And it can become infuriating when the same areas always seem to be left in a sorry state by careless passers-by.

But crimes like littering and fly-tipping carry hefty punishments in Stirling, from fines ranging between £80 and £40,000, or even imprisonment.

The Courier’s data team has taken a look at fixed penalty notices (FPNs) handed out in Stirling over the past four years, allowing them to chart where the hotspots are for littering and fly-tipping.

Where are the littering and fly-tipping hotspots in Stirling?

Combined, these offences were most common on the city’s historical King Street, with 24 FPNs issued there in 2020.

The majority of these (20) were handed out for littering, with four instances of fly-tipping.

In the same year, city centre thoroughfare Murray Place was the site of 16 littering offences caught by officials.

The picturesque Friars Street saw 12 penalties dished out, and 11 of these were also for littering.

But the data shows how litter and fly-tipping hotspots can change over time.

During 2021, Barnton Street became Stirling‘s FPN hotspot, with 19 given. King Street and Upper Craigs both saw the next highest number of offences, with six recorded in each location.

In 2022, Upper Craigs remained a problematic area for illegal waste disposal, followed closely by Murray Place and Port Street.

How have littering and fly-tipping habits changed over time?

Littering was most commonly caught on King Street and Murray Place in 2020, while Barnton Street was a littering hotspot in 2021.

In 2022, however, things looked different. Litterbugs were regularly being fined on Murray Place, Upper Craigs, Port Street and Spittal Street.

When it came to fly-tipping, Upper Craigs, Cowane Street and King Street were the worst-hit waste-dumping zones between 2020 and 2024, with eight, seven and five FPNs respectively.

Still, those aren’t the only spots where fly-tipping seems to be an issue.

There were four recorded instances of the offence on Carronbank Crescent and Bruce Street, and three each on Baker Street, Darnley Street, St Mary’s Wynd and Port Street.

Is the situation getting better or worse?

Though there have been peaks and troughs since 2020, it would appear fewer people are being punished for fly-tipping and littering in Stirling in recent years.

In February 2020, a total of 14 FPNs were dished out to fly-tippers.

Things seemed to be improving when, a year on, only one notice was given. However, by January 2022, FPNs reached a peak of 29.

The situation appears to be more positive lately – no more than two fly-tipping penalties were handed out between February 2023 and May 2024.

For littering, June 2020 saw the highest number of FPNs, with 59 dished out in one month alone.

But the number dropped drastically during the months that followed, with nine recorded in July, three in August, seven in September and nine in October.

April 2021 saw another spike, and 24 fixed penalty notices were issued. This had fallen to 19 by June, and nine by December.

From March 2022, three people or fewer were penalised for littering.

And, when it comes to dog fouling, the highest number of FPNs served in a single month was two, in January 2022.

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