Rubbish Roundup 6th July

Rubbish Roundup 6^th July

The fast food giant, McDonald’s is launching a new anti-litter social media campaign called #GetInTheBin. The campaign will include adverts that imagine what our lives would be like if litter took over the world.

The ads will show computer games, football pitches, and dating apps strewn with litter to raise awareness of the problem.

McDonald’s recently commissioned a study that found that 18-34-year-olds are the worst offenders when it comes to litter. It was this group that admitted to throwing litter out of their car windows, leaving packaging behind after a BBQ or picnic, or just making excuses not to bin it.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s said that its restaurant teams have been picking litter around the areas in which they operate for over 35 years and added that it’s deeply disappointing that so many people act irresponsibly.

The company is asking customers to help them in their fight against litter by taking their litter home and recycling it or disposing of it responsibly.

It’s also joining forces with local authorities and litter organisations to tackle the issue.

Park managers across England say they fear lockdown restrictions being lifted even more because of the amount of rubbish that is being discarded by the public.

Park staff in Bournemouth collected a huge 50 tonnes of litter left by beachgoers in just ONE day last week. Bournemouth is not alone. Piles of litter are being left behind on beaches and green spaces across the country as more people meet to have a drink or a picnic.

Staff in Rugby have reported that they are collecting on average an extra 10 tonnes of plastic waste, bottles, and food packaging every day from parks across the town. If you need a visual, this is equivalent to seven transit vans full of waste, according to the park's manager.

He voiced his disgust that people are also abusing cleansing teams, especially since they are keyworkers who have been working throughout the pandemic.

Council operatives in Salford collected 200 tonnes more waste from parks and streets during the lockdown than in the same period last year.

Park managers have been sharing their experiences in an online forum and they agree that it’s been chaos since lockdown was eased.

As well as a huge increase in single-use plastic litter because of pubs starting to offer take-away drinks in plastic glasses, there is an increasing problem with laughing gas canisters being left behind in car parks and parks. Then, of course, there’s the pandemic-related issue of PPE being discarded. Is a new plastic waste crisis going to be another unwanted side-effect of the coronavirus?

Extra police officers are being drafted in to patrol some of Cheltenham's parks following concerns about litter problems and people urinating.

The heatwave last week saw people flocking to the Imperial and Montpellier Gardens, leaving a trail of overflowing bins and litter in their wake. People were also seen urinating in the grounds of properties surrounding the parks.

Cheltenham Borough Council said that if the problem gets worse, it will consider arranging joint police and environmental officer patrols.

Anyone caught littering faces a fine of up to £150, and if people are caught drinking and refuse to stop, they can be fined £100.

The council is set to install more bins, carry out more cleansing, and extend public toilet opening hours.

A spokesperson for the council said that the town’s green spaces have become a popular spot for gatherings during the lockdown and that this had led to increased littering, public drinking, urination, non-compliance with social distancing, and anti-social behaviour. She added that the council are working with the police and with local pubs as they begin to reopen.

The council also wants to make it clear that fines will be handed out for littering and anti-social behaviour.