The anti-litter campaign #LoveYourForest is returning to the Forest of Dean with a series of events to raise awareness of the problem of littering in the historic forest and surrounding area.

The campaign, first launched in 2016 by national behaviour change charity Hubbub, was relaunched on Sunday (29 April) with the return of the Trashconverter van, a reappropriated horse box that will tour the region visiting littered laybys, music festivals, village fairs, schools, parks and tourist hotspots to provide information and advice to local communities.

The Trashconverter is also a hub where visitors can swap litter they have collected in the area for treats like flowers, seeds and popcorn. First created in 2017, the van collected 68 bags of litter in 29 different locations over the course of two weeks, drawing attention to the pervasive litter problem blighting areas of natural beauty.

250 tonnes of rubbish are removed from the Forest of Dean area each year, a task that costs the District Council £430,000. Across England, it cost local authorities £682 million, or £29 per household, in 2016/17 to keep the country’s streets clean, and a raft of new, tougher enforcement laws on littering have been introduced over the past month, with the maximum on-the-spot fine for littering and graffiti almost doubled from £80 to £150 and new fines for people caught throwing litter from their cars.

In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a consultation to develop stronger guidance for enforcement authorities on the ‘proportionate and effective use of fixed penalties (civil and criminal) against littering and related offences.’

At the #LoveYourForest launch on Sunday, local mountain biking coach and world champion racer Katy Curd got stuck in helping with the campaign, saying: “I’m really excited to be supporting Love Your Forest and the return of the Trashconverter. This is an innovative and fun way to engage with visitors, including the mountain biking community. It saddens me to see the forest covered in litter – particularly when there is so much work going into providing good riding trails for free. Whether you’re a walker, sightseer or a mountain biker, it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep litter out of the forest.”

The #LoveYourForest campaign has a community focus, working with local schools and youth groups and supporting litter picks throughout the year. Hubbub has developed a free downloadable guide for litter-free picnics, and is also looking to talk to mountain bikers who use the trails in the Forest of Dean in order to develop a new element to the campaign.

Trewin Restorick, Hubbub CEO, commented: “We are thrilled with our new Trashconverter – we want to visit as many local events as possible this year to help spread the word, so do get in touch if you’d like a visit. We are also really pleased to see local groups begin to take ownership of the campaign and hope to see lots of local people come forward and help shape the future of what is a really unique initiative.”

Funding and support for the campaign comes from local business Lucozade Ribena Suntory, a major employer in the area, whose Site Director Mike Pedder said: “At Coleford, we’re well aware of what a privilege it is to work in such a beautiful area – one that so many of our staff call home. It is therefore only natural that we passionately believe in working with the local community, the Council and Hubbub to take action, put an end to littering and protect the Forest.”

Most recently, Hubbub has also announced the launch of a campaign targeting food waste from restaurants, in partnership with Compass Group UK & Ireland and commercial kitchen food waste app Winnow, which will be exploring different methods of changing customer behaviours to reduce the amount of ‘plate waste’ left over at the end of a meal.

More information about #LoveYourForest can be found on the Hubbub website.