Litter found in 90% of surveyed spots as campaigners call for national strategy
Litter found in 90% of surveyed spots as campaigners call for national strategy
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Campaigners are calling for a national litter strategy after most spots they surveyed in England over the last decade were blighted by the issue. Teams from the green group Keep Britain Tidy walked a total of 1,140 miles across England between 2013 and 2024, identifying litter in a representative sample of urban and rural sites.
The charity said more than 90% of these areas contained litter, as it published a report into the findings of its annual litter surveys on Wednesday. During the latest 2023-2024 survey, teams found that just nine in every 100 locations in England were litter-free.
The research also uncovered a disparity between the richest and poorest areas in England. Surveyors found just 2% of sites classed as most deprived were litter-free, compared with 14% in the least deprived areas, meaning they were also seven times less likely to find a litter-free space in poorer areas.
In terms of the type of litter discovered, the campaigners said discarded packaging from drinks, snacks and fast food was second only to smoking-related litter in prevalence. Sweets and chocolate wrappers were found in more than half (52%) of surveyed sites, followed by drink bottles and cans, which were present in almost a third of all locations (31%).
The charity also published its findings on public attitudes towards litter, with a poll suggesting that two-thirds of people would not feel safe walking down a pictured street that was heavily littered, or that living in such an area would negatively affect their mental health.
