Bermuda must clean up its act with regards to litter laws, a United Bermuda Party Senator said yesterday.

Opposition Sen. Kenneth Bascome called on Government to pass legislation to bring litterbugs to court and consider a bottle bill.

Speaking during the motion to adjourn in the Senate, Sen. Bascome said the Island?s litter laws need to be upgraded.

His own neighbourhood, for example, is becoming increasingly depressing, he said. ?It is cleaned one day, and the next day looks like there?s been a public holiday.?

Every day on his travels he picks up about 12 bottles, he said. ?I am asking Government to consider introducing a bottle bill.?

Environmentalists have been calling for a bottle bill for years. Roughly 50 percent of local litter consists of discarded bottles, mostly Heineken, Carlsberg, and Elephant beer bottles, according to Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB), which demanded the bill in 2002.

A leading Californian conservationist also suggested the move in 2002 after noticing that Bermuda?s recycling programmes are ?not working very well?.