Smokers should prepare to be booked by the Green Police on Sunday, September 17, as part of Kingston's contribution to the Clean-Up the World campaign. They will be policing Kingston town centre, New Malden High Street, Victoria Road, Surbiton and Hook Parade, Chessington to raise awareness of the way that cigarette litter affects public areas.

Some local authorities have been putting microchips in bins to measure amounts of household waste, according to recent press reports - but not in Kingston. A spokesman for the council said: "There are no plans in the foreseeable future to introduce microchips into bins in the borough. This is only possible in areas where local authorities provide bins to their residents, which is not the case in Kingston. However, accurate data is an essential part of running an efficient collection service and it is something that will be considered and addressed in the run up to the new refuse collection contract being awarded in September 2008."

With junk mail in the news at the moment, Kingston Council's ShopSmart campaign urges people to stop the delivery of junk mail to their house. Go to mpsonline.org.uk to remove your name from commercial mailing lists.