A crackdown on littering in Inverness and Dingwall led to five fixed penalty fines being issued by enforcement officers.
A Litter Day of Action mounted by Highland Council saw enforcement officers stepping up enforcement patrols with the aim of tackling the crimes of littering, fly tipping and dog fouling.
In Scotland there are an estimated 250million visible items of litter each year, with one of the most common being cigarette ends.
In April of this year the Scottish Government raised fixed penalty notices for littering from £50 to £80 and for fly tipping from £50 to £200.
Other enforcement activity across the region in the past week includes £200 finesissued to two businesses in Wick and Aviemore for flytipping waste from their businesses, a fixed penalty notice for littering in Thurso and a further three notices issued in Fort William for littering.
Councillor Graham MacKenzie, chairman of the council’s community services committee said: “By taking part in the national Litter Day of Action event we are highlighting how serious the council is to tackle the problem and improve the environment for everyone.
“Our enforcement staff do a lot of work throughout the year in educating people and working with youngsters, but everyone has a part to play in keeping our public areas litter free. Now is a good time to remind everyone that littering is an offence. It also costs the council a significant amount of money to clean up, money from the council tax that could be spent in local communities.”