United call for government leadership on litter

Businesses and litter groups have made a joint plea to government to take a firm lead on litter.

In a letter to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), as well as the environment ministers of the devolved governments, 23 signatories (listed below) have called for an advisory committee on litter to deliver a national litter action plan for eliminating litter in the UK.

The signatories, which include packaging groups, manufacturers, retailers, waste management companies and environmental charities, have already created a draft paper, which they say could be used to inform the development of the action plan.

Advisory committee on litter

An advisory committee, according to the letter, would create a single channel to focus resources and would provide advice and expertise to government departments and local authorities.

Furthermore, it argues, the group would enable all parties to work together and plan for the long term, encourage a consistent message on littering and demonstrate governmental commitment to reducing litter.

The letter reads: ‘The formation of an Advisory Committee is an unparalleled opportunity to take a major step to reduce the societal impact of all litter.

‘Without such government leadership, efforts to deal with littering will continue to be fragmented and so less effective in delivering significant reduction in littering and in the costs of dealing with it.’

According to a study published by signatory Keep Britain Tidy (KBT), some 30 million tonnes of litter are collected from streets in the UK every year, costing taxpayers almost £1 billion a year in street cleansing alone, as well as additional social and environmental costs.

That cleansing cost, of which an estimated £56 million is spent on removing chewing gum from pavements and walls, could, KBT states, fund 38,644 social care workers or pay the running costs of 4,400 libraries.

The study found that 72 per cent of people in England think the government should do more to combat litter and claims that ‘clear, cross-governmental leadership’ is needed to reduce litter.

Short-term initiatives need long-term plan

Signatory Jane Bickerstaffe, Director of INCPEN, the Industry Council for research on Packaging & the Environment, said: “There are lots of excellent anti-litter initiatives but no coordinated long-term programme, and litter is getting worse, so government needs to take a lead and ensure everyone works together.”

Trewin Restorick, CEO of campaigning charity Hubbub, added: “Getting rid of litter on our streets requires concerted effort from all sections of society… [all] of us are now asking government to add their commitment.”

Read the full letter urging the government to .

Signatories of the letter: