News Archive

Network Rail Backs Love Where You Live

04 July 2011

Network Rail has become the latest organisation to support the Love Where You Live campaign. 

As the owners and managers of 30,000 hectares of railway land, Network Rail is keen to support a cross-sector anti-litter campaign that will address some of the environmental issues that cost them millions each year.

Flytipping on Britain’s railway costs the industry at least £2.3m every year.  It is a blight on resources and the railway land that surrounds houses and communities.  ,
In the spirit of Love Where You Live, Network Rail is launching its first ever national clean-up week initiative today. This massive exercise will target around 130 sites from 4 to 8 July and is expected to clear nearly 1,000 tonnes of rubbish.

 
Thousands of railway staff and community volunteers will be out in force to take part in the clean-up blitz, removing litter and graffiti. Network Rail will also be introducing special 'womble bags', which are uniquely designed to help railway staff remove hazardous waste safely and swiftly, at some of the sites.

Love Where You Live is a cross-sector anti-litter campaign that aims to achieve behaviour change in the long-term.  By matching resources alongside the messaging of personal and brand responsibility it is the first campaign of its kind where the public, brands and the government all have a duty to bring an end to the litter culture in this country.

Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: “We are delighted to be working with Network Rail on Love Where You Live and fully support their national clean-up week.”

The Love Where You Live campaign is supported by the Government, McDonald’s, Wrigley’s, Imperial Tobacco, Coca Cola and Network Rail.

Read about this campaign in the 2011 Waste Review 

See videos from the Secretary of State and Kirstie Allsopp   

Comments

Comment on this article

• Keep Britain Tidy

  Keep Britain Tidy is now working on a long-term national campaign - called Love Where You Live - to change littering behaviour by raising awareness and encouraging activity. The Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, was speaking at a meeting to launch Love Where You Live to parliamentarians and to encourage them to participate in the campaign in their constituencies. Love Where You Live is supported by government, the private sector and civil society organisations including CPRE and CleanUp UK. To change the littering behaviour in this country all sectors of society have to work together and that is what Love Where You Live aims to do.

• Brian Reynolds, South East

  Just viewed the video with Caroline Spelman. Glad she attended the event and spent the whole video preaching to the converted and explaining the obvious; we are a littered country. I would like to know how Tidy Britain will reach 52 million Brits and advertise the campaign at all railway stations and public spaces because at the moment nobody really knows about Tidy Britain and most Brits are so unaware of the litter problem that no improvement will occure. Working closely with the CPRE and CleanUp UK both organisations have been pushing the government for a national awareness campaign sustained over a long period of time and also the introduction of a deposit system on all drink containers and the change in the law to fine culprits throwing litter from car windows. All three improvements are radical and are being resisted all all levels even though they make sense and will change attitudes and educate at the same time. We need government help as well as personal responsibility. At the moment it is all one sided I'm afraid.

• Brian Reynolds, South East

  Is this a gimmick on Network Rail because I have been trying to get them to clean up several trackside arees in Kent, namely Swanley station tracks, platform ends and the litter that extends for about 500m eastwards along the Chatham mainline - choked with metro newspapers and tins etc. Likewise at Bromley South South, the litter and rubbish on the land opposite platform one and beyond the platform edges in both directions. Trying to get SouthEastern/Network Rail to litter pick the grass verges in the station approach area to Meopham station is a trial. A simple request is embroiled in denial and avoidance. The latter problem I am pressing for a meeting with NR and SouthEastern Trains via my MP. Pathetic really when all I ask is to walk along a road that is cleaned daily. I'm going to Germany soon for some civilised living and clean railway stations and tracks.