Teams spent many weeks from January through to March, including weekends, clearing more than 75 miles of roads and verges in and around Clydesdale, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall, Stonehouse and Strathaven.

And the programme of litter picking also cost the council almost £47,000 for additional staff, temporary road restrictions and disposal of the rubbish.

Amongst the discarded waste were hundreds of plastic bottles and cans that could have been recycled at our waste recycling centres, placed in bins across South Lanarkshire or taken home and disposed of in household wheely bins.

The council would also like to highlight that not only is littering illegal and unsightly but it also dangers to wildlife, rodents and even insects. As well as the obvious dangers of broken glass and sharp plastics, animals can also easily get stuck inside bottles and food containers.

And even more abhorrent is the health risks faced by litter picking teams who are regularly faced with human waste found dumped in bottles and other containers by the roadside.

Councillor Robert Brown, the chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee said: “It is very disappointing that every year we have to waste so much time and money clearing up rubbish that could have and should have been disposed of responsibly.

Our roads are the gateways to our towns, villages and tourist destinations. Litter-strewn verges deter people from coming to our area – while clean and tidy approaches are inviting. In a nutshell, litter and flytipping damage both the image and the living spaces for our communities.

“Our teams work hard to keep our area clean of dumped litter and rubbish. But unfortunately, a minority of people seem to think the rules don’t apply to them and that they can dump litter and rubbish wherever they like.

“Neither the council nor local communities are prepared to tolerate this, and we aim to stamp it out. We take our role in changing that behaviour seriously, through a combination of education, awareness-raising and enforcement.

"But we also have a duty to make sure our communities are safe, clean, and welcoming. So, while we condemn the actions of an irresponsible few, we have to take this action to improve the environment.” 

Penalties for those caught dropping litter range from £80, while the Illegal dumping of waste carries fines from £200, as well as the potential for criminal charges and even a prison sentence for the worst offenders. 

More information on what we are doing to combat litter and fly-tipping, advice on how to report local issues, and details of how the council can help with community clean-up events are available on our fly-tipping information pages.