What we say
Litter
- Litter is anything that is dropped, thrown, left or deposited. 2.25 million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day (Symphony Environmental Study 2005). An estimated 28.5 million tonnes of waste is collected in England every year (Defra 2007/08).
- It is illegal to drop litter and you can be fined up to £80 on the spot for dropping litter or sent to court if you refuse to pay and fined a maximum of £2,500 (Environmental Protection Act 1990).
- It costs tax payers £858m a year to clean up litter (CLG 2008/09).
- We believe the most effective way to deal with litter is to have a combined approach, campaigning and educating people are just as important as fining people.
- In September 2008, Keep Britain Tidy launched England’s first ever Big Tidy Up to encourage as many members of the public as possible to carry out a clean up in their local area and help tidy up our country.
Latest research:
The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (LEQSE) 07/08 says that litter is not any worse than it was seven years ago when the first survey was carried out. But it states that streets and neighbourhoods remain in an "unsatisfactory" condition.
Dog fouling
- It has actually reduced over the last decade
- Estimates put the UK dog population at 6.5 million (Petfood Manufacturers Association, 2003), producing 1,000 tonnes of faeces every day (Cuthbert Jackson, Dog Warden News, 2002).
- In 2004/05 the average number of complaints to local authorities was 194 per authority (Encams Control of Dogs Survey, 2005/06).
- Failure to clean up dog fouling is an offence subject to a maximum fine of £1,000 (Dogs Act 1996)
- You can be fined £80 on the spot for not cleaning up after your dog - or prosecuted through the courts.
- It costs taxpayers approximately £22 million a year to clear up faeces
- Being a responsible dog owner includes picking up after your pet.
Graffiti
- Graffiti is criminal damage. It is illegal markings made to walls and other surfaces. Across most of England graffiti is not a major problem. It is focused in hotspots. Those caught causing graffiti can be prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act 1971. Under the Anti-social Behaviour Act local authorities can issue fixed penalty notices to anyone caught in the act of producing graffiti
- Councils spend an estimated £27 million a year removing graffiti (Local Environmental Quality: A Local Authority Perspective. 2004 Encams).
- Graffiti can have an enormous impact on the fear of crime in an area.
- Streets tattooed with tags and scrawl make people feel unsafe when they walk down them
- When daubed on other people's property without permission, graffiti is vandalism and illegal, however we are in favour of graffiti walls as long as they are managed properly.
Cigarette litter
- Cigarette butts, fag packets and wrappers are cigarette litter and 78% of streets have cigarette butts on them (LEQSE 2006/07).
- The number of fag ends has doubled in the 12 months following the introduction of the smoking ban (as at July 08 – KBT survey).
- Smoking related litter has increased by 125% since the first LEQSE survey in 2001/02 (ENCAMS Policy Statement Aug 08).
- It can take 18 months to 500 years for a cigarette butt to degrade (ENCAMS Policy Statement Aug 08).
- Dropping a cigarette butt is an offence which can lead to a fine of £80 (Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005).
- Keep Britain Tidy has run three cigarette litter campaigns - June and September 07 and April 08.
- In April 08 we dumped a 30ft cigarette stub in Trafalgar Square to highlight the problem. Ten thousand posters and banners went up across the country warning “Dirty Chuckers” of £80 fines.
Programmes
Eco-Schools
Eco-Schools is an international award programme that guides schools on a sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life. It is one of five environmental education programmes run internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Eco-Schools is administered by Keep Britain Tidy in England. It is also responsible for delivering the Government’s Sustainable School’s Strategy.
More than 12,000 schools (over half the schools in England) are now registered. Any type of school can join the programme - nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, special schools and pupil referral units.
Blue Flag/Quality Coast Awards
Blue Flag is the prestigious international award scheme which acts as a guarantee to tourists that a beach they are visiting is one of the best in the world.
Overseen by FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), Blue Flag is administered by Keep Britain Tidy in England.
Running across Europe, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA, it is only awarded to coastal destinations which have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, are free from litter and dog dirt, have good signage and information boards. There are currently 72 Blue Flag beaches in England and this year the best beaches are in Cornwall.
Quality Coast Awards are given to the best beaches in the country which are well managed but may not reach Blue Flag standards for water quality. They were introduced by us in 2007. In 2009 113 beaches received Quality Coast Awards (QCA). Up from 77 in 2007. We want more beach managers to consider applying for QCA.
Green Flag Awards
Green Flag Awards recognise and reward the best parks and green spaces in the country. The scheme was previously managed by The Civic Trust. Keep Britain Tidy will now run the scheme for the next three years with GreenSpace and the environmental volunteering charity BTCV. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) awarded the contract to Keep Britain Tidy as the lead for the consortium following an extensive EU-approved procurement process.
Local Environmental Quality All Party Parliamentary Group
Keep Britain Tidy supports the Local Environmental Quality All Party Parliamentary Group (LEQ APPG).
The group was established in November 2004, and since the General Election in May 2010 has been chaired by Anne McIntosh the MP for Thirsk and Malton.
Its purpose is to discuss issues relating to local environmental quality; to raise these issues on the parliamentary agenda; and to provide a forum for an exchange of views between parliamentarians and those involved with local environmental quality issues.
Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (LEQSE)
Keep Britain Tidy has over 20 years’ experience in carrying out research and technical support work into Local Environmental Quality (LEQ) and management. This extensive work has enabled Keep Britain Tidy to develop a systematic way of monitoring LEQ, through a survey which covers 30 of the touchstone issues related to the local physical environment that people find most important.
A national version of this survey – The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (LEQSE) – was developed for Government, the results of which have directed and evaluated national LEQ policy. Similarly, district versions of the survey have helped local authorities to manage and target their resources more efficiently, cleanse local areas to a better standard, and ultimately bring about sustained improvements in LEQ.
Research Centre
Keep Britain Tidy will be launching their new Research Centre later this year. The Research Centre will build on our innovative record of applied local environmental research, stretching back over 20 years. As well as raising Keep Britain Tidy’s research profile in relation to Local Environmental Management, Quality of Life and Sustainable Development. The Research Centre will pay particular attention to “Places” and the:
- Local physical setting, characteristics & capabilities
- Social/cultural characteristics, behaviours & potentials
- Existing & potential economic, cultural & other activities
The Research Centre’s guiding purpose is to understand what makes local places and the people who inhabit them unique; to identify problems and potentials; and then to devise practical tools and pilot solutions for ensuring their better management and sustainability.
The Research Centre will undertake a variety of applied research activities involving a variety of partners and resources. It will seek to influence academic research, think tanks and governmental and other bodies. It also hopes to connect them with communities, and service providers.
Keep Britain Tidy Network
The basis of the Keep Britain Tidy Network is to provide practical help and guidance to local authorities and other land managers, to help them achieve the very highest standards when delivering local environmental quality services.
The Network is designed to meet individual needs and is highly flexible. Members are given exclusive access to both specialist knowledge and training in the area of local environmental quality, whilst also receiving valuable networking and learning opportunities.
Members of the Keep Britain Tidy Network have instant access to much of this specialist knowledge through a dedicated section of the Keep Britain Tidy website
The Big Tidy Up
Launched by Keep Britain Tidy in September last year, the Big Tidy Up is England's biggest ever clean up campaign. Since its launch almost 15,000 groups have registered to take part in a Big Tidy Up and almost 50,000 bags of rubbish have been collected. The Big Tidy Up runs right throughout the year and people can take part in a clean up whenever and wherever they choose. Once registered, groups are sent a free Big Tidy Up kit which contains bin bags, tabards, posters, badges and an information booklet - giving them everything they need to organise their clean up.
So far the campaign has been supported by a wide variety of groups - from Schools, Women's Institutes and Scout groups to MP's, Bishop's and Premiership footballers. Ultimately the Big Tidy Up is all about the public getting out cleaning up their community and restoring pride in their local area. For more information about the Big Tidy Up visit www.thebigtidyup.org