Rubbish Roundup 5th October

Rubbish Roundup 5^th October

We start this news roundup with a story on cigarette litter, and a stark warning from the environment minister to the tobacco industry. She has told the industry that cigarette litter could be brought under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules if it fails to join a voluntary scheme to reduce smoking-related litter.

Rebecca Pow issued the warning at a meeting with representatives of the tobacco industry, Keep Britain Tidy (KBT), and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

She said that if the industry worked with Keep Britain Tidy on solutions, it could reduce smoking-related litter in England, but if this didn’t work, the government would take measures to make sure the industry has to take more responsibility for the products it produces.

The minister commented the cigarette butts were not only unsightly, but they also added to the plastic pollution problem and gave off toxic chemicals.

Even though smoking rates are consistently falling, cigarette-related litter is still the most commonly discarded type of litter.

In 2015, the Tobacco Manufacturers Association (TMA) committed to providing free ashtrays and to funding litter bins that contained ashtrays, but litter surveys have found that smoking-related litter has still increased by over 5% since the pledges were made.

Keep Britain Tidy reported in the meeting that the tobacco industry spends just £70,000 per year on litter prevention, despite earning profits of well over £1 billion.

Now the government is set to bring the industry to account, watch this space…

Next we head to Swindon, where an environmental group is cleaning up the Gorse Hill area of the town by collecting almost a dozen bin bags of rubbish every month.

The founder Will Stone was so fed up with seeing litter where he lives, he launched the Green Door Initiative to help clean up the town’s streets.

He said that during lockdown, he noticed an increase in fly-tipping and there was nothing being done about it, so he got in touch with a grounds maintenance company and asked them to clear away some of the rubbish that had been dumped. But then more waste was fly-tipped, so there was nothing for it except for Will to clear it himself.

This is when he had the brainwave about starting the environmental group.

The group’s first litter pick took place on the last Sunday in August, and 10 people turned out to help. Will commented on how positive it was that people do care about keeping the area they live in clean and safe. He hopes that the group’s efforts will encourage others to follow suit and take pride in their community. As well as picking litter, the group cleans up graffiti on walls and buildings.

If you live in the Swindon area and you’d like to find out more about the group, go to the Facebook page www.facebook.com/Willstonelibdem

Finally to the West Midlands, where the Mayor Andy Street has been cleaning up litter from the canal towpaths in Snow Hill in Birmingham.

He went out to pick litter as part of The Great British September Clean and managed to get some others involved. Mr. Street and his team of volunteers filled rubbish bags with beer bottles, crisp packets, broken glass, hundreds of cigarette butts, and even a piece of old carpet.

He commented that while people are hopeful of life returning to normal sometime soon, what he doesn’t want to see return to normal is the level of littering. He said that he knew that an ‘irresponsible minority’ were the main offenders and he has urged people to get out and pick litter in the areas where they live (obviously adhering to social distancing guidance).

hen he had the brainwave about starting the environmental group.

The group’s first litter pick took place on the last Sunday in August, and 10 people turned out to help. Will commented on how positive it was that people do care about keeping the area they live in clean and safe. He hopes that the group’s efforts will encourage others to follow suit and take pride in their community. As well as picking litter, the group cleans up graffiti on walls and buildings.

If you live in the Swindon area and you’d like to find out more about the group, go to the Facebook page www.facebook.com/Willstonelibdem

Finally to the West Midlands, where the Mayor Andy Street has been cleaning up litter from the canal towpaths in Snow Hill in Birmingham.

He went out to pick litter as part of The Great British September Clean and managed to get some others involved. Mr. Street and his team of volunteers filled rubbish bags with beer bottles, crisp packets, broken glass, hundreds of cigarette butts, and even a piece of old carpet.

He commented that while people are hopeful of life returning to normal sometime soon, what he doesn’t want to see return to normal is the level of littering. He said that he knew that an ‘irresponsible minority’ were the main offenders and he has urged people to get out and pick litter in the areas where they live (obviously adhering to social distancing guidance).