Millions of #LitterHeroes are doing their bit to clean up our country

More people have spent time litter-picking in the past year than watched the much-talked-about series finale of Happy Valley earlier this month*. 

New research for Keep Britain Tidy reveals that more than 8.5 million adults* – 16% of the adult population - in the UK participate in litter-picking at least once every six months, a million more than watched the end of the hit BBC series. 

The research was carried by YouGov to mark the launch of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, the country’s biggest mass-participation environmental campaign, from March 17 to April 2. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals take part in the campaign, picking up the litter that pollutes our streets, parks and beaches and showing the world that they care about the environment on their doorstep. 

Last year, more than 430,000 volunteers, including school children, faith groups, businesses and community groups, collected a staggering 449,406 bags of rubbish across the country, from the north of Scotland to the Cornish coast. 

Litter-picking is a simple action that anyone can do to make an immediate and visible difference to their area and can increase the sense of pride that people feel about the community in which they live. Of those who took part in last year’s Great British Spring Clean, 85% reported that taking part made them feel more pride in their local area. 

Keep Britain Tidy believes everyone should live in a community of which they can be proud but less than half of UK adults (42%) currently agree that they feel proud of their community, with younger people aged 18-24 less likely to be proud (35%) than the over 55s (47%). 

This level of pride is also reflected in the extent to which people feel part of their community, with only 34% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK agreeing that they feel part of their community, rising to 46% among the over 55s. 

Commenting on the findings, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “It is amazing to see that so many of us are now taking action in our day-to-day lives to improve our environment. 

“Litter is a blight that affects every corner of the country and can make people feel unsafe in an area. It pollutes our watercourses and, ultimately, our oceans, choking marine life with plastic. 

“The Great British Spring Clean is a moment when all those individuals who are now making litter-picking a part of their lives come together to show that small, individual actions, when taken collectively, can make a huge difference. We would like to see all 8.5 million of them - and more - joining us and pledging." 

Across the UK 3% of people – just under 1.6m* - revealed they took part in litter picking, either alone or in a group in their neighbourhood or other public spaces, at least once a week, with a further 12% saying they litter-pick at least once every six months. 

Encouragingly, the proportion that pick litter at least once every six months rises to a fifth (20%)  amongst parents of children 18 years and under, setting a great example for the younger generation. 

The Great British Spring Clean aims to inspire people across the country, from individual volunteers – dubbed #LitterHeroes by the charity – to families, schools, groups of friends, businesses, community groups and local authorities to come together to clean up in their neighbourhoods. 

The charity wants to empower everybody to take pride in their area by taking part in the #BigBagChallenge - pledging on its website to pick a bag or more of litter, helping make a huge difference to the environment. 

This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to media partner Clear Channel, as well as supporting partners KFC, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Mars Wrigley, Coca-Cola, Walkers and Pepsi MAX. We also thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising funds to support this campaign. 

To find out more and to make a pledge visit www.keepbritaintidy.org