Since the 1960s the amount of litter dropped annually in the UK has increased by approximately 500% and litter has shot up the agenda to become one of the most important local concerns for the electorate. Quite apart from the very obvious impact litter has on the beauty of our cities, towns and countryside, the direct costs of managing litter are large: councils spend an esti- mated £500 million a year on cleaning. The indirect costs are also considerable: companies in heavily littered areas lose business, and such areas are linked to increasing crime rates and anti-social behaviour. In both town and country, wildlife risks ingesting litter and pollu- tants.
Through our polling and in-depth interviews with local authorities we found that one in five people admitted to having dropped litter in the last year, with young urban males more likely to do so than any other group in society. We also found that smokers have a very different attitude than non-smokers: 42% of smokers think it is acceptable to drop litter, compared with 16% of non-smokers.
Littering is symptomatic of social and individual attitudes towards both public space and waste. We found that the most common reasons for littering are that an area is already littered; cleaning up is perceived to be the responsibility of some- one else; there are no bins or ashtrays nearby; people have biodegradable items they want to get rid of; or when there is no incentive to dispose of litter properly. Efforts to tackle litter should target each one of these causes in turn. In the UK this has not been done in a sufficiently deter- mined or co-ordinated way.
Our ongoing efforts to tackle littering involve a variety of organisations, includ- ing local authorities, central Government and government funded bodies such as the environmental campaigns charity, ENCAMS. In many cases, these bodies are making progress and litter is being reduced. But, their initiatives are either confined to a local area or, if carried out at a national level, are too limited to have a sustained impact. The result of this lack of co-ordination is that best practice is not disseminated, efforts are disjointed and there is inconsistency, both in communicating messages and the application of penalties, all of which has failed to alter social norms for the better.
Such problems have been addressed in New South Wales, Australia. There, a well funded federal body works effectively with state-level anti-littering initiatives. They have a consistent, ongoing and effective educational campaign against litter that has helped to change social norms. There are also community programmes and competitions that have built up grassroots opposition to littering and fostered civic pride.
In the United States, New York State has developed a successful anti-littering strategy based on a deposit scheme that since 1983 has reduced container litter by 80% and roadside litter by 70%. By rewarding people for not dropping litter and encouraging people to pick it up, the scheme has helped to create a virtuous cycle of desirable behaviour. Its success can be measured by its high levels of public support: 84% of voters support it and 78% agree that it had made their state cleaner.
In addition to the ideas provided by these international examples, new options to prevent littering have emerged. The ongoing renewal of our public spaces, especially in preparation for the 2012 Olympics, gives us the opportunity to use design to prevent littering in the first place and better manage the litter that is dropped. We can think about the strategic placement of bins and ashtrays based on evidence from local littering patterns. In residential areas, we can improve design and the management of waste to prevent household rubbish from becoming litter. We can also ensure that the commissioners and designers of public space try to eliminate littering, by engaging with the people who use, manage and maintain those public spaces when projects are still on the drawing board.
The potential role of design, encouraging international case studies and local best practice have provided useful points for us to reflect on the UK’s current anti-littering strategy. From these reflections it is clear that there is much more we can and should do. If adopted, the following recommendations could help reduce litter and littering on our small and crowded island.