Street care and cleaning

Street sweeping and litter collection

Our mobile Barrow Beat crews sweep and pick litter in all shopping areas in the district daily. Litter is removed from main roads weekly and from all other roads on a monthly basis. View the Barrow Beat street cleaning schedule.

Please tell us If you notice a problem with littering or a full or damaged bin. This helps us keep our streets clean and protects the environment.

Graffiti

Please report any graffiti in the district.

We aim to remove/cover up graffiti from property owned by Three Rivers District Council within five working days of it being reported.  More offensive graffiti will be removed within two working day. 

Fly-posting is displaying posters, adverts and other promotional items on buildings, lampposts, bins and other street furniture without the required advertising consent. We remove unauthorised adverts on council property.

Fly-posting is a criminal offence, and you can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80 if found to be putting up an illegal advert or a fine of up to £2,500 per advert.

For guidance on how to advertise legally outside, see our outdoor advertisements page.

If you notice a problem with fly-posting, please report it to us.

Details of our approach to environmental enforcement in the district are set out in our Environmental Protection Enforcement Policy

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on the street, alleyways or any public or private land. Leaving items beside street bins, recycling banks and outside closed Recycling Centres and charity shops is also fly-tipping.

We remove fly-tipped rubbish from council land. Small amounts of rubbish will be removed within 24 hours, though larger amounts may take up to seven days to clear. For more details, see our Environmental Protection Enforcement Policy (PDF, 654 KB).

Hertfordshire County Council is responsible for clearing fly-tipped rubbish that is blocking highways in Three Rivers District. Rubbish causing an obstruction is removed within 24 hours of it being reported. To report fly-tipping on a road or highway, call Hertfordshire County Council at 0300 1234 047.

Report a fly-tipping incident

If you see fly-tipping taking place, please report it to the police on 999 and report it as a crime in progress.

For serious fly-tipping incidents (pollution risk, hazardous materials etc) call the Environment Agency 24-hour hotline on 0800 807 060.

To help us investigate, please tell us:

• the registration number of any vehicles involved
• a description of anyone involved and the direction they were travelling
• the exact location of the fly-tipping
• the date and time you discovered the rubbish
• details of the dumped items
• photos of the fly-tipping

Do not put yourself at risk when reporting fly-tipping.

Legally disposing of waste

Everyone has a legal obligation to ensure any household or business waste is disposed of correctly. You can be prosecuted even if your waste is fly-tipped by someone else on your behalf.

We offer a kerbside collection of refuse, recycling, food waste and garden rubbish. We also offer bulky items, white goods and house clearance services.

If it's YOUR waste, it's YOUR responsibility.

Always use a registered waste carrier to collect your rubbish. Follow the S.C.R.A.P code.

Let’s S.C.R.A.P Fly Tipping

Suspect all waste carriers. Don't let them take your rubbish until they provide proof of registration. Note their vehicle's registration plate.

Check that a waste carrier is registered with the Environment Agency.

Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away.

Ask how your rubbish will be disposed of - seek evidence of this.

Paperwork must be obtained: a proper invoice, waste transfer note or receipt, including a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier’s contact details.

Commercial waste

Always use a licensed waste carrier when disposing of waste. You can use the Environment Agency’s Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers to check whether a company is licensed.

For more information on your responsibilities when disposing of business waste, see our commercial waste pages.

Fly-tipping for landowners

We cannot clear the rubbish for free, but we can help investigate. Your clean-up costs may be reimbursed after a successful prosecution. To help us investigate, please tell us:

• the registration number of any vehicles involved
• a description of anyone involved and the direction they were travelling
• the exact location of the fly-tipping
• the date and time you discovered the rubbish
• details of the dumped items
• photos of the fly-tipping

Information for landowners pdf download

Dog bins and dog fouling

Dog bins in the district are emptied at least once a week. If you notice a full or damaged dog bin, please report it online.

To report a full or damaged dog bin owned by a parish council, please contact the relevant parish council.

Please report a dog fouling incident, or a request to clean up dog foul online.

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) relating to dog control in public was issued in April 2016 and extended in 2022. This order imposes certain legal responsibilities on dog owners in Three Rivers District. 

Find out more and read the full PSPO

Dealing with leaf fall

The leaf clearance programme is compiled using past experience Hot summer weather, high winds, storms, and frosts can sometimes accelerate leaf-fall causing our leaf clearance operation to commence earlier than expected. Similarly, mild, dry weather in early autumn may delay the start of the leaf clearance season.

During autumn, the programme of clearance takes around 6-8 weeks to work around the district. We will visit areas on a rolling program as frequently as possible, however in periods of high leaf fall it may take longer to clear areas, and the program may also be affected by adverse weather. In some areas, we may be unable to clear leaves if there are access problems due to parked cars for example. We cannot keep streets completely free of leaves, a road that is cleared of leaves in the morning can be entirely covered in leaves again within hours.

Please note that we do not provide a reactive service to requests for leaf clearance. Footpaths or roads that you perceive are dangerous because of wet leaves causing slippery conditions should be reported to Hertfordshire County Council or call 0300 1234047

What about the leaves in my garden

Leaves are carried freely on the wind and are largely outside the control of Three Rivers District Council. Clearing of leaves from gutters and gardens is considered to be normal routine seasonal maintenance which property owners and residents are expected to carry out. If you subscribe to the Garden Waste collection service, you can dispose of leaves in your brown bin. Alternatively, you could consider home composting or taking them to your local recycling centre. Blowing leaves onto the highway is unlawful and adds to the risk of accident or injury to pedestrians and vehicles. Discarding leaves in public areas is considered fly-tipping.