Litter found in 90% of surveyed spots as campaigners call for national strategy

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.

Elsewhere, 87% of respondents said they would be discouraged from buying or renting in such a littered area and 78% believed the high levels of litter would deter business investment.

Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive at Keep Britain Tidy, said the report is a “wake-up” call before warning that litter is not only an eyesore but can prevent investment, create inequality, damage the environment and make people feel depressed or unsafe.

“It’s unacceptable that the most deprived communities are bearing the brunt of the country’s litter problem,” she added.

“If we are to make significant strides towards creating litter-free spaces for everyone, we need to set a new course and take coordinated action.”

Ms Ogden-Newton said the UK needs a “national strategy with robust targets and monitoring, clear focus and adequate resourcing”. 

“We’re calling on the Government, industry and individuals to work together with us to create a future where litter-free spaces are the norm, rather than the exception.”

She also cited the report’s findings of strong support for measures that prevent waste in the first place rather than just initiatives to clean it up.

The charity welcomed the introduction of the deposit return scheme as a “significant step towards tackling drinks-related litter”.

It comes after laws paving the way for a bottle-return scheme came into force on Monday.

The European-style initiative will see people charged a deposit when buying a plastic, steel or aluminium container before receiving the money back when they hand it in for recycling at a collection point.

Councillor Adam Hug, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils work hard to keep parks, streets and public spaces clean and free from unacceptable littering.

“Responsibility for clearing up litter lies with the person dropping it or leaving it behind. Councils run a range of awareness and clean-up campaigns, and Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued in cases where a person littering has been caught in the act.”

However he argued that the UK must reduce overall waste to reduce litter levels.

With councils facing significant financial pressures, Mr Hug called for packaging producers to take more responsibility for meeting the costs to reduce and recycle packaging waste.