The Highways Agency (HA) has launched its annual "Bag it. Bin it!" litter campaign, that asks road users to help reduce the amount of litter on motorways and major A roads, by ensuring they collect and bin all their waste.
The campaign aims to reduce the amount of waste littered on English roads, which accounts for more than 7,500 tonnes of waste collected every year, and annually costs the HA around £6 million to remove and dispose of.
As well as being unsightly and costly to manage, litter can also be a safety hazard to other vehicles, threaten wildlife, and block drains, which in turn can lead to flooding.
In an attempt to reduce the amount of waste littered on roads – which ranges from fast food wrappers, to pieces of furniture – the HA is running the ‘Bag it. Bin it!’ campaign until the end of April to remind road users to take their litter with them and dispose of it safely.
The campaign will see electronic roadside signs display waste prevention reminders, such as: 'Help stop litter, bin it', 'Bin your litter, other people do', and 'Don't drop litter, bin it'.
Speaking of the campaign, Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said: “The Highways Agency spends at least £6 million a year collecting more than 150,000 sacks of litter from England’s motorways. It costs around £40 to collect each bag of rubbish from a motorway, roughly what it costs the agency to fix a pothole.
“With the ‘Bag it Bin It’ campaign we want to encourage more people to keep a bag in their car, bag their rubbish themselves and dispose of it safely.”
Phil Barton, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy added: “Local authorities in England already spend £1 billion in street cleaning and car litter is a considerable factor in this. People should take responsibility for their environment, locally and further afield.
“Just because you are on the move is no excuse for despoiling the area you’re driving through and leaving others to deal with your thoughtlessness.”
Anyone wishing to report litter being spilled from vehicles on motorways and major A-roads, can call the Highways Agency on 0300 123 5000.
Find out more about the Bag it! Bin it campaign.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.