Shouting about volunteers’ litter-picking efforts can cut littering

As the nation’s biggest annual environmental campaign starts, new research shows that ‘Volunteers Have Tidied Here’ signs reduce littering by an average of 40%.

A pilot study by Keep Britain Tidy, funded thanks to generosity of players of People’s Postcode Lottery, has seen littering reduced at hotspots when colourful signs are erected to tell the public about volunteer’s clean-up efforts. 

The study was carried out ahead of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, the country’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign, which launches tomorrow (Friday) and runs until April 2. 

The charity monitored binned waste and litter dropped on the ground for four weeks at pilot sites in Bath & North East Somerset and Ryedale in Yorkshire, then monitored the sites for a further four weeks after erecting the special “Volunteers Have Tidied Here” signs.  

The intervention was most effective in areas where people had time to reflect on the message, such as parks, walking routes, cycle routes and car parks. But the signs, which encourage people to value and respect the actions of local volunteers in the community, also had an impact in an area suffering from littering from vehicles too. 

Commenting on the scheme, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “There is an incredible sense of empowerment and achievement for volunteers when they can see proof that their actions are having a measurable impact on litter in their communities. 

“This new litter intervention is an innovative way to discourage littering behaviour and, at the same time, celebrate volunteers by giving them greater recognition for their efforts. 

"Volunteer litter-pickers play a vital role in removing plastic pollution from our environment and this project proves that their small, individual actions, when taken collectively, make a huge difference. 

“We hope this encouraging new research will inspire people across the country, from individual volunteers to families, schools, groups of friends, businesses, community groups and local authorities to come together to clean up in their neighbourhoods during the Great British Spring Clean and beyond, knowing their actions truly do make a difference to people’s littering habits.”  

The charity previously revealed through a You Gov survey 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. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals take part in the Great British Spring Clean 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. 

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