Figures reveal that half of adults admit to littering
Half of Scottish adults have admitted to littering in the past 12 months, new figures have revealed.
This revelation comes ahead of #SpringCleanScotland - Scotland’s biggest mass litter picking event - which launches on Friday, March 13.
As tens of thousands of hard-working volunteers prepare to tackle the deluge of litter which blights parks, beaches and urban spaces these astonishing stats have been released, showing the extent of effort required to clean up Scotland.
The YouGov survey for Keep Britain Tidy as part of the Great British Spring Clean, which is delivered in Scotland by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, also revealed that:-
Almost 403,000 people admit they left finished items or packaging behind after sitting down to eat or drink; more than 313,000 left rubbish at a train or bus stop; and more than 268,000 admitted throwing or dropping litter from a vehicle window.
Last year 35,000 people joined Spring Clean Scotland to help tackle the litter emergency. And councils and road operators are working tirelessly to remove litter across the country too at a cost of more than £1 million a week.
Barry Fisher, Keep Scotland Beautiful chief executive, said: “If 50% of adults in Scotland are admitting to the illegal act of littering in the last 12 months we have to question why. And we must accept that people we know and love are littering – and start calling them out.
“We know what needs to be done to encourage people to bin their litter, and we understand the drivers, the need for better infrastructure, systems and support to encourage reuse. But we desperately need more investment to ensure we address the root cause of the litter emergency.”
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, which is supporting the campaign, said: “We want to thank our players for their continued support in raising funds, and also the passionate Litter Heroes volunteers without whom the campaign couldn’t make the impact that it does.
"It’s inspiring to see volunteers protecting the local environment in communities throughout Britain, sending a strong message that we can all play a part in loving where we live and protecting nature.”
If you are inspired to earn more, access resources and sign up and event visit: www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/springclean.