Litter found in 90% of surveyed spots as campaigners call for national strategy
Environmental campaigners are urging the implementation of a national litter strategy, following a decade-long survey revealing widespread litter issues across England.
The green group Keep Britain Tidy covered 1,140 miles across the country from 2013 to 2024, identifying litter in both urban and rural areas. The charity's report, published on Wednesday, revealed that over 90% of these sites were littered.
The most recent survey (2023-2024) found that only nine out of every 100 locations in England were free of litter. The study also highlighted a stark disparity between affluent and deprived areas. Only 2% of the most deprived sites were litter-free, compared to 14% in the least deprived areas, indicating that poorer areas were seven times less likely to be litter-free.
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As for the type of litter found, discarded packaging from drinks, snacks, and fast food was second only to smoking-related litter. Sweets and chocolate wrappers were discovered in more than half (52%) of the surveyed sites, followed by drink bottles and cans, found in almost a third of all locations (31%).
The charity has released a report on public attitudes towards litter, revealing that two-thirds of individuals would feel unsafe or experience negative mental health effects if they lived in an area with heavy littering. Additionally, 87% of those surveyed said they would be put off from buying or renting property in such areas, and 78% believed that excessive litter could drive away business investment.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive at Keep Britain Tidy, described the findings as a "wake-up" call, adding: “It’s unacceptable that the most deprived communities are bearing the brunt of the country’s litter problem. If we are to make significant strides towards creating litter-free spaces for everyone, we need to set a new course and take coordinated action.”
The charity has hailed the new deposit return scheme as a major move in combating beverage-related rubbish. The praise follows the enactment of legislation on Monday that sets the stage for a bottle-return system similar to those found in Europe.
Under this scheme, consumers will pay a deposit when purchasing drinks in plastic, steel, or aluminium containers and will be reimbursed upon returning them for recycling at designated sites.
Councillor Adam Hug, the Local Government Association's spokesperson on environmental matters, said: “Councils work hard to keep parks, streets and public spaces clean and free from unacceptable littering. Responsibility for clearing up litter lies with the person dropping it or leaving it behind. Councils run a range of awareness and clean-up campaigns, and Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued in cases where a person littering has been caught in the act.”