What do the brands on the streets say about England?

If you’re walking down a street in our nation’s capital, which type of branded litter do you think you’re most likely to see? A fast food wrapper? A sweet packet?

No, the answer, by some distance, is a cigarette packet.

In a dramatic change from last year’s survey results, cigarette packaging now makes up more than 50% of the litter on our capital’s streets, according to Keep Britain Tidy’s latest snapshot survey. In the last survey, in the City of London cigarette packaging accounted for only 14% of the branded litter. In this year’s survey, the figure has risen to 62% - an increase of 48%.

But Londoners are out of step with the rest of the country when it comes to which brands’ packaging they mindlessly throw on the floor.

In more than half of the places surveyed by Keep Britain Tidy – from Manchester to Rugby, and from Sheffield to Southend - it was fast food packaging that topped the list of branded litter.

Sweet-toothed litterers ensured that confectionery packaging topped the table in Gloucester and Carlisle, while some thirsty folk in Preston ensured that drinks-related litter was the most common in their hometown.

Litter is a massive problem – not just for the companies whose brands feature in our survey – and it costs us £858 million a year to clean up.

Do you Love Where You Live?

As part of the charity’s ongoing drive to make England a green and pleasant land in which to live, Keep Britain Tidy is now working with businesses, including McDonalds, Greggs, Wrigley and Imperial Tobacco, along with central and local government and the voluntary sector, on Love Where You Live.

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Phil Barton said: ‘Love Where You Live is a unique campaign. It is about everyone, from individuals and community groups to local authorities and multi-national corporations, working together to transform our country.

‘We need to make a change so that this country is no longer a place where it is, seemingly, acceptable for some to throw litter.

‘It is time for us to start taking some pride in our country and for everyone to love where they live. It is not someone else’s responsibility – it is everyone’s responsibility.’

‘Some companies are taking action, supported by Keep Britain Tidy, to tackle litter and are committed to educating their customers. It would be nice to see other fast food and confectionery manufacturers, along with cigarette manufacturers, take the issue as seriously and become involved in Love Where You Live.’

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: ‘Love Where You Live is about society taking collective responsibility for the litter that blights our communities and countryside and annoys so many of us. 

Campaigns like this are so important to get the message out there that’s it’s not ok to just chuck your litter to the ground or out the car window.  It’s a message that we need to keep repeating to make people who trash our countryside and towns think twice.’

Download the report

Download the full Branded Litter Study 2010/11 report

View last year's Branded Litter Study 2009/10 report

Comments

Comment on this article

• sophie, East of England

  to much litter is being droped around the schools

• Kevin Feltoe, East of England

  Where I live is just far enough away from a Mc Donalds for people to have finished their fast food while driving and then require somewhere to dump the packaging. We regularly get the complete package thrown from cars along a half mile stretch of the road between Swaffham and Cockley Cley. This is prime country side where the roadside can be a disgrace. Tesco plastic bags are another regular source of rubbish even though there is not a Tesco within twelve miles of this area. Plastic drink bottles, plastic wheel trims, drink cans of every description, crisp wrappers and torn sheets of plastic from farmer's fields are all part of the problem. I have often thought that the only way to sort this problem out would be to make the population of a given area responsible for ensuring that their 'Area' was kept litter free. Anyone messing that 'Area' up would then be more likely to face the wrath of the 'responsible people' and they might think twice about littering.

• Helen Perriman, South West

  The report is very interesting but I find where I live that the litter generally is plastic drink bottles, cigerette packets and take away sandwiches wrappers All originating from the local supermarkets. In my locality that is Tesco. I get very annoyed by the lack of rubbish bins at the perimeter of the shop. Tesco has bins outside its doors. What is that solving?? Only the rubbish in their carparks (which they take great effort in cleaning each morning) but what about the surrounding streets and hedges at the edge of their car park!!?? Tesco make no effort to clear these of rubbish. The supermarkets are great generaters of street rubbish and I really feel that they ought to be held more responsible for this or at least look further than their carpark, when it comes to clearing litter. They make enough Profits from their sales every year. The more profits they make the more litter their customers generate! More participation from Tesco and other supermarkets in your campaign would be very appreciated, and for them to have a greater awareness of the environment local to them, and the mess it causes to local residents. Surely it is more important to see where the litter is being generated and what can be done by the supermarkets to help reduce the litter, rather the brands that are being dropped.