Litter

During the pandemic we saw a big increase in litter in our countryside, parks and towns.

As we came out of each lockdown and were able to meet a restricted number of people outdoors, many people made much more use of their local green spaces such as parks and commons as well as local beauty spots for socially distanced gatherings. It was wonderful to see people benefiting from being outdoors in nature; however with this came a steep increase in piles of rubbish being left behind, spoiling the countryside and posing a threat to wildlife.

We received numerous reports from members of the public who visited their local green space only to find piles of rubbish including food packaging, drinks bottles and cartons, plastic containers and used BBQs. In some cases the rubbish had been bagged up by whoever left it, as if waiting for the next person to come along and pick it up.

Our Chair Patricia Broadfoot said: “Our local green spaces and countryside next door really have shown their worth over lockdown. It has been so heartening to see more people getting out into these spaces, many of whom may be doing so for the first time. But with this increased footfall comes the serious challenge of a rise in litter. To tackle the blight of litter, we are urging everyone to take their litter home with them and dispose of it responsibly. Central government can play its part by taking a tough stance on litter and bringing forward proven methods of boosting recycling like an all-inclusive deposit return scheme. By harnessing this enthusiasm for the countryside and ensuring we promote recycling and responsible behavior, we can reach a litter free countryside.’

The countryside and local green spaces have been appreciated more during Covid-19 than ever before. Recent CPRE research found that in the South West 70% of adults think their local green space or nearby countryside could be enhanced, with the majority wanting to see more wildlife and a greater variety of plant life in their local green space. More research by CPRE and the WI found that 57% of people reported that the lockdown has made them more aware of the importance of local green spaces for our mental health and wellbeing, and nearly two-thirds of people (63%) felt that protecting local green spaces should be a higher priority for the government when lockdown ends.

CPRE Gloucestershire is encouraged by the public’s enthusiasm for the countryside and would like to see people continue to enjoy local green spaces for social distance contact with friends and family, but urging those making use of such spaces to be prepared, take bags with you, bag up your rubbish when you’ve finished, and take it to the nearest bin or home with you (recycle where possible) and to leave the space how you found it.

Leaving rubbish behind not only spoils the countryside and green spaces, it is a serious threat to local wildlife as well as posing a potential virus spreading risk as other people inevitably will have to pick up the rubbish and dispose of it.”

We run projects, activities and campaigns all across the country to reduce litter, working with local partners and empowering communities to clean and celebrate their much-loved landscapes. Join us in making our countryside healthy, clean and tranquil.