Almost half of North West adults (47%) admit littering in the past 12 months.
A YouGov survey on behalf of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy shows astonishing littering behaviour across Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, with more than 1.6 million (27%) admitting dropping unwanted food items such as fruit peel, sandwich crusts and ice cream cones ‘because it will biodegrade’.
More than 794,000 people across the region (13%) admitted they had left finished items or packaging behind after sitting down to eat or drink, while almost 611,000 (10%) left rubbish at a bus or train stop.
It comes ahead of the charity’s Great British Spring Clean campaign (March 13th to 29th) which has empowered millions of Litter Heroes across the nation over the past decade to pledge to pick more than 4.5 million bags of harmful rubbish from our streets, parks and beaches.
Almost 611,000 (10%) said they left or dropped some rubbish because it was too dirty/smelly/messy to take with them, while one in 10 (10%) also placed or left rubbish in a hedge, bush or tree or dropped rubbish from a vehicle window (10%).
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Litter is litter and always bad news for the environment. It doesn’t matter if you leave a cup on a wall or hide it in a bush, it’s still litter and it’s still pollution.
“Heroic volunteers who take part in our Great British Spring Clean, as well as hard working local authority staff end up cleaning up the mess.
“Littering comes with a huge cost to us all with local authorities spending a staggering £1 billion a year tackling rubbish at a time when there are other challenges this money could, and should, be spent on.
“Our message this year is help our army of volunteers and our wildlife – and show your love for where you live – by doing the right thing: putting it in a bin or taking it home.”
People can pledge to pick via the charity’s website – www.keepbritaintidy.org – and can also register for free for the charity’s Litter Heroes programme, funded by Postcode Lottery players.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “”We want to thank our players for their continued support in raising funds to support the Great British Spring Clean, and also the passionate Litter Heroes volunteers across the country without whom the campaign couldn’t make the impact that it does.
” It’s inspiring to see volunteers in action 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.”
This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, media partners Bauer Media Outdoor, Magic Radio and The Mirror, and supporting partners KFC, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Pepsi MAX and Walkers.