Cleaning up Britain

The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) has provided financial support to help the charity Clean Up Britain conduct a ground-breaking environmental behavioural change campaign in Leamington Spa.

Litter levels in Britain have increased by 500% in the past 50 years, and 81% of the public express anger and frustration about it – yet 15 million people in the UK also admit to dropping litter. Hard-pressed local authorities in the UK are wasting £1bn a year cleaning it up, and high levels of litter have a proven association with increased crime,  make a negative impact on human mental health, endanger animals, and pose a real threat to our tourism industry.

‘Litter pick-ups’ and other well-meaning interventions are addressing the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem, which can only be tackled by persuading people not to drop litter in the first place. The diverse social mix of Leamington Spa made it an ideal test-bed for a range of initiatives designed to ‘nudge’ behavioural change, with a ‘Litter Kills’ banner driving a 65% reduction in littering where it was deployed.

Education campaigns in primary and secondary schools have also helped to drive the anti-litter message, while a Green Business Award encourages coffee shops and cafés to take a responsible approach to the local environment.

The campaign continues in 2019 and more information about it can be found at www.itsnowornever.org.uk