Once discarded, litter remains in our environment for decades, making its way from land into our waterways and oceans - plastic bottles can last around 450 years. 

The UK’s Vintage Litter Museum exhibits many historic pieces that have been found – in fact its earliest piece of plastic, a toiletry bottle, dates from 1954, the year Keep Britain Tidy was founded! 

The RSPCA receive thousands of calls a year about animals that are caught up in or injured by litter. By removing materials that don’t belong from their natural habitats, we protect wildlife and marine life. 

Each year, as a country, we spend hundreds of millions of pounds clearing up litter. This is money that could be better spent on other public services, like social care and education.  

Litter is a wasted resource. Each day, around 20 million drinks containers are ‘lost from the loop’ (this means, they don’t get recycled). Plastic bottles, aluminium cans and glass bottles are all recyclable and can be turned in to new drinks vessels. But if they are littered, the valuable materials they are made of are wasted. It takes less energy to recycle than make new, so capturing these materials is critical.  

Research from Keep Britain Tidy shows that people feel less safe, and house prices are affected, when an area looks littered and uncared for. By taking care of our neighbourhoods, we increase feelings of pride and safety.