A ‘Spring Clean Challenge’ has been set for residents of Scotland in an attempt to reduce litter throughout the country.
Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and the Scottish Government’s circular economy minister, Lorna Slater, are leading the campaign which will run from March 21 - April 21 2022.
The campaign was launched by Slater and the two charities at an event at Blackness Castle in Linlithgow on Friday 18 March.
Those running the campaign say that it is “everyone’s responsibility to reduce litter and help protect our neighbourhoods and heritage.”
KSB has conducted research that revealed that 88 per cent of Scots were in agreement that there was a litter problem across the nation.
With a further 70 per cent saying they are worried about rubbish in their own community.
KSB and HES have been collaborating to find ways to reduce the level of litter at at visitor attractions and areas of national significance.
Slater and the charities are encouraging everyone “to make a difference” by organising litter picking events through their work, friend groups or schools in order to make environments safer for humans and animals.
They add that “just half an hour of picking up litter and disposing of it safely can help an area look cleaner and feel safer, and evidence shows it also prevents more litter being dropped.”
As part of Spring Clean, there is a Live Lesson open to all schools across the UK.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said, “No one should have their visit to one of Scotland’s heritage sites ruined by litter and mess. To help make sure our historic locations are in good condition for others, please put your rubbish in the bin, recycling it where possible. We are consulting on proposals to help rid Scotland of the problem of litter and flytipping. I would encourage everyone to have their say and to take part in a Spring Clean near you.”
Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, Barry Fisher, said, “Across Scotland we have seen a steady increase in the amount of litter over the past decade. While this is a real challenge, we are heartened by the incredible work of litter picking heroes up and down the country.
“Our communities already play a vital role in taking action to tackle litter. Across Scotland we have seen lots of people giving up their time to clean up their local areas despite the challenges of the last two years. We are delighted to have launched our challenge with Historic Environment Scotland at a beautiful part of our heritage, Blackness Castle, to help highlight this issue. We would love as many people as possible to join in, make litter a thing of the past, and give Scotland a spring clean this March and April.
“For those that wish to take further action, the Scottish Government is currently consulting on a revised National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and you can still respond until the end of March and have #YourSayOnLitter.”
Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships at Historic Environment Scotland, said, “We’re delighted to help launch this year’s Spring Clean at Blackness Castle. Litter can have a big negative impact on historic sites such as this, limiting access and enjoyment for visitors, as well as posing issues of health and safety.
“However, we believe our historic environment is also part of the solution to tackling litter. We want our historic sites to inspire positive behaviour change, connecting communities with their local area and restoring pride in our local environments.
“We hope people across Scotland will be inspired to get involved and help us make litter history.”
Inspired to take positive action? Learn more and sign up to join here.
