Littering in the UK: Does Britain have a litter bug?

This news comes following a recent report by environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy.

Transcript

00:00Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, Alison Ogden-Newton, has said,

00:06Litter is considered not to be significant in terms of measurement of deprivation,

00:11but what we found is that it does have a profound effect. It makes people feel unsafe. It's something

00:16that people notice. It makes people feel embarrassed about where they live and where they work.

00:21When looking at litter on the nation's beaches alone, three-quarters of a million pieces of

00:26rubbish were found on UK beaches earlier this year. According to the Marine Conservation Society,

00:33more than 15,000 volunteers took part in coastal cleanups across the UK last year,

00:39collecting around 700,000 pieces of litter. That's an average of 170 items for every 100 meters of

00:47coastline surveyed. The charity's latest State of Our Beaches report confirms what environmentalists

00:54have long thought. Plastic pollution continues to pose a serious threat to marine life,

01:00with plastic waste increasing nearly 10% compared to the previous year.

01:06Looking now at litter in towns and cities, a recent study revealed that more than 90% of streets across

01:12England are affected by litter, and a growing number of people believe the problem is getting worse.

01:19Alongside that, a separate public poll shows widespread concern. Three-quarters of

01:24respondents said the litter situation in the country has deteriorated in recent years,

01:29with 70% noticing litter in their local area every day. More than half of the 1,737 people surveyed

01:38said they believe littering has become normalised behaviour. The Keep Britain Tidy study also highlights

01:44the broader impact of litter, suggesting it may have psychological consequences and harm on the economy.

01:51When shown images of heavily littered streets, 66% of respondents said they wouldn't feel safe walking

01:57there at night. 86% said they would be embarrassed to live in such an area, and 67% said it would

02:04negatively impact their mental health. In terms of economic impact, 87% of those surveyed said they

02:11would be discouraged from moving into a littered neighbourhood, while 78% believed it would discourage

02:19business investment. The report also indicates strong public support for preventative action,

02:25including anti-littering campaigns in local areas.