FINES for dropping litter and dog fouling dropped significantly in the last year, a charity has said.
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful also said councils are spending more on street cleaning.
It cost councils across the north more than £45.5 million to keep public spaces clean during the last financial year, figures show.
However, the number of fixed penalties issued for dropping litter decreased by 13 per cent.
The charity said less than 1 per cent of money spent by councils on cleaning is recouped through fines.
Dr Ian Humphreys, chief executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, said: "Fining litterers is a part of the solution to the global problem of litter and with the real dangers of particularly plastic pollution now widely understood, there is no excuse for littering behaviour".
