Not in my backyard

As the peak holiday season draws to a close, towns and cities that are popular with visitors during the summer months could be left with a big problem – litter.

According to a recent survey, people are four times more likely to drop litter in places other than where they live – which is bad news for places that are frequented by day trippers and tourists. In the survey, 89% of respondents said that they would never drop litter in their home town – although 59% admitted to dropping litter in other places.

Street litter seemed to be a significant issue, especially cigarette butts which are often dropped on the pavement or thrown out of a car window. However, people seemed to be more protective of the areas around their own homes with almost everyone saying that they would be angered by litter being dropped on their doorstep, and over half saying that they would remonstrate with someone dropping litter in their home town.

There was also widespread support for increasing the fixed penalty for littering. Over two thirds said that they would support a rise in the current fixed penalty from £75 to a minimum of £100.

“Household recycling has made great strides in the past 20 years but on the street recycling is yet to catch up,” says Patience Atkinson-Gregory of Amberol. “Litter is obviously an issue which provokes strong feelings in people. Whilst people need to take responsibility for disposing of their rubbish responsibly, it is also important that councils and local authorities provide adequate litter and recycling facilities in town centres, parks, shopping areas and on the streets.

It seems that the smoking ban has also exacerbated the problem in some areas, creating litter hotspots where people smoke outside pubs and shops.

“Many of our local authority customers tell us that cigarette litter is an issue which is why many Amberol bins have cigarette stubber plates to help ensure that people dispose of cigarette butts appropriately,” adds Patience.