Now we have the measurements we need effective management action
After decades of Government indifference we now are seeing some concerted action. The old adage, ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’, is starting to be addressed. Now the issue is implementing effective management measures.
Litter strategy for England: progress reports
This report sets out what progress has been made on the actions identified in the government’s Litter strategy for England: Annual report (2017 to 2018).This report sets out what the government and others have been doing to reduce litter in England since we published our litter strategy. The report includes case studies and updates provided by members of the Litter Strategy Advisory Group. It also sets out some further activities we plan to carry out over the next year.
Keep Britain Tidy’s litter report
The results of our annual survey of the state of England’s streets have been published and unfortunately it’s not great news, with the results showing that littering has increased since the survey was last carried out in 2014/15. A total of 7,200 sites across the country were surveyed, with 14% found to be at an unacceptable standard for litter (a 4% increase).
The most commonly littered item is cigarette butts, found on 79% of sites. The following three most littered items, all ‘food and drink on the go’ related, are confectionery packs (found on 60% of sites), soft drink bottles and cans (52%) and fast food related litter (33%).
The top ten most littered items are:
- Smoking related litter
- Confectionery packs
- Soft drink bottles and cans
- Fast-food related
- Alcoholic drinks bottles and cans
- Packaging
- Snack packs
- Vehicle parts
- Discarded food and drink
- Clothing
As well as being unsightly, litter is a serious social, economic and environmental issue. It causes harm to communities and wildlife, and in an era where local authorities’ budgets are coming under increasing pressure, costs over £1billion each year to clear up. Yet it is entirely preventable.