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Updated 14 May 2004, 11.09 
Keep Britain Tidy are calling for special 'green' courts and an environmental police force to help deal with people who are litter louts, graffiti artists and cause pollution.
We want to know how YOU think they should be punished.
Maybe you think they should be fined or have to pick up everyone else's litter?
And would having the 'environment police' help solve the problem?
Whatever you think, e-mail and let us know.
Unfortunately this topic is now closed but there are Comments pages on other subjects on the main Chat index.
 I don't think environmental police will help because what's the chance of them even being there when you drop litter? People will just walk round the corner and drop it there. If it does work though the police should take them to an animal rescue place and see the damage they're doing to the animals! Rebecca, 12, Warwick
You are fined $350 if the police catch you littering here. I think it works. Dee, 15, Canada
Yeah. Litter ruins the whole look of the world. If an alien turned up they would be disgusted with all the dirty rubbish on our streets and fields. Loza, 12, Tyne and Wear
I think that as soon as someone litters they should clean up a park. Denae, 12, Milwaukee
I think it makes the streets look untidy. People should take more notice of the rubbish being dropped instead of adding to it. Abbie, 13, Somerset
There is too much litter and I think it's disgusting. At my school we do litter duty when we have to pick up all the litter at our school! Louise, 11, London
I litter quite a lot - it's just a habit to drop my rubbish on the floor, but if they brought in a law against it and fined you when you littered, it would definitely get me out of the habit. Maddie, 13, Portsmouth
I think it's really sad how some people drop litter and I think these people should be punished but perhaps not in such a serious way. I think they should BE publicly humiliated perhaps with posters to name and shame these people. I heard they have already done this in some places, it's a great idea! Charlotte, 15, Ross-on-Wye
We have a thing called "tidy towns" where the tidiest town gets a prize - it's brilliant. We do have a big problem with chewing gum in Dublin though..... Susan, 13, Dublin
I think that would be ok if there were proper bins and facilities for disposing of rubbish - but where I come from there isn't so I don't think we should be punished for lack of facilities. It's not our fault! Cate, 12, Belfast
I think the people caught littering should be prosecuted. The people who are caught littering should then be made to go out in teams to pick up litter and clean up the streets! Jade, 14, London
Yes, I agree, there should be a fine for dropping litter. People SHOULD NOT get way with it! Without litter, England would be lovely, with no litter. Whenever we go to the country, what do I see? LITTER, LITTER, EVERYWHERE!!! I think the fine should be to be on litter picking for 3 days. In fact, WAY more days, as they must have dropped SO much litter in their lives, they deserve WAY more! Heather, 12, Lancashire
I think that they should do something like that. We should all take pride in our towns/cities. How can this take place if people are dropping litter all the time. It damages people and everyone knows it is wrong. Elyica, 12, Stevenage
I disagree with Rayka because no-one cares about a fee of £5.00. If you charge a huge fine of £40.00 then people are more likely to stop littering the place. Katy, 12, Beaconsfield
I think that people who litter should be cautioned first and then punished if they litter again. A good punishment would be make them clean up the streets for the day and make them wear a special uniform so everyone knows that they are cleaning as a punishment. Ben, 13, London
Littering is serious as it killed my cat Pebbles, who was strangled by some litter in 2003. Someone dropped that litter and killed my cat, they should be punished! Alexa, 14, Essex
I think that they should use creative punishments such as making them do an hour of litter picking in the place they dropped the litter a day. Or make them design a poster advertising why you shouldn't drop litter Arianna, 14, Reading
Well, I don't see anyone actually dropping the litter, just the litter itself. So the chances of anyone actually catching someone dropping the litter isn't very high. So I reckon that there should be some volunteers every month from a certain area, and they should do some litter picking and help tidy things up. It would be a bit like charity work, they'd be offering to do it out of free will, so wouldn't have to do it if they didn't want to! Kate, 13, Aylesbury
If people litter then it means that they don't care about the environment that surrounds us all. I think they should be punished by cleaning it up. Then they'll now how it feels to be a cleaner. It is up to us to keep the world the way it should be. and I hope other people feel the same way as I do. Anna, 12, Manchester
Dropping litter is a horrible habit. But nothing is done about it. If punishments were introduced heavily, people would think twice before dropping even a sweet wrapper. Belle, 14, Dover
I think that litter bugs should pick up litter the first time they've been caught the second time they should get a fine and the third time they should get locked in the cells for the night. Lorna, 11, Bolton
In my area, you are fined £75 if you're caught dropping litter. Lisa, 15, Caerphilly
I think the council should hire people to guard each street from litter. And if they catch anyone dropping litter then they should be fined £50 or more. Leona, 11, Macduff
I think people could be punished by doing lots of cleaning up there local areas. Leah, 11, Co. Down
Litter is a big problem, in many countries. It makes the streets look dirty and disgraceful. To stop 'litter bugs', you should get fined if you're caught chucking litter. Joanna, 13, Netherlands
Litter louts should be made to work as street cleaners for a day, to see what it's like to clean the streets they have made dirty! Sarah, Leeds
In my school, if you're seen dropping litter, you are given a litter pick during break. you have to fill half a black bag with rubbish. It seems to work. Juliette, 13, Cardiff
I agree with David, Wrexham, because then there will be less people dropping litter. They also could be fined if they get caught!! Rachel, 13, Newcastle
I think they should be embarrassed. Their names would be put up in front of everyone in public and would be shouted at by the police in public. Then they would be too embarrassed to drop litter around! Hannan, 13, Newcastle
I think if people drop litter they should get a fine (only a small amount such as £5) and should be caught by police only not CCTV camera. Rayka, 12, London
I think there should be an environment police to punish people - how else will we stop people dropping litter? David, 12, Wrexham
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Litter droppers should be fined
