A Cumbrian borough has launched an ambitious target of halving litter by 2024.
Members of Barrow Borough Council’s executive committee adopted a formal Anti-Littering Strategy this week which sets out how the issue of littering will be addressed.
It aims to reduce the amount of litter, dog waste and fly-tipped waste being deposited in the wrong place across the area by 50 per cent by 2024.
The strategy was adopted in the same week that Barrow Borough Council launched Cleaner Greener Barrow – a campaign to help make recycling easier for residents in a bid to protect the environment and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Ann Thomson, the leader of Barrow Borough Council and lead member for cleaner, greener neighbourhoods, said: “Dropping litter is an irresponsible thing to do. Not only is it damaging to the environment and the special wildlife we are lucky enough to have here in the borough, it is disrespectful to our whole community.
“Our new anti-littering policy sets out how we will tackle the problem of litter in a consistent and coordinated way going forward, making the most of available technology to make it as easy as we can for people to properly dispose of their rubbish when they are out and about.
“Ultimately though, we need people to recognise how important this is and to do the right thing. Put litter in a bin or take it home with you.”
The Anti-Littering Strategy was created following a review of litter across the borough last summer.
It concluded the main contributors to illegal littering were dropping litter out of cars, items not placed in bins, ‘careful littering’ – when a piece of waste is left on a windowsill or bench – dog mess left on the ground by pet owners, chewing gum and smoking-related litter, and side waste left next to commercial waste containers.
In addition, a separate review of litter bins across the area was also undertaken to consider whether the right type of bins are located in the most suitable places.
Finally, the strategy confirmed individuals found to have discarded litter of any kind instead of placing it in a bin or taking it home could find themselves receiving a fixed penalty notice of £75 per incident.
