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Press Release

Still A Long Way To Go On Litter

17 March 2009

'Today's litter survey shows that, as a country, we still have a huge distance to travel to tackle the rubbish epidemic that blights our towns and countryside.'

This was CPRE's response to today's (Tuesday) publication of the latest Local Environmental Quality Survey of England.

While the survey shows a marginal improvement in overall standards of cleanliness, this still amounted to just a 3% fall in litter on the previous year. Litter in all of the areas surveyed was classed as unsatisfactory, and the survey specifically recognises that litter on verges and alongside rural roads is a significant problem.

Ben Stafford, CPRE's Head of Campaigns, said:

'It is encouraging that both the Government and Keep Britain Tidy recognise that there is still a long way to go if we are to get our litter problem under control.

'We would like to see more support from Government for public education about litter, including more resources for ENCAMS, which runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. We also need to get a few basic things right, like providing more bins in public spaces, and making sure they are emptied on a regular basis.

'The survey also shows that drinks-related litter is on the rise. This reinforces the case that we have been making for the introduction of a bottle deposit scheme, which would reward people for returning their used bottles, increase recycling and cut litter.'

Ben Stafford concluded:

'Today's survey is a wake-up call to the authorities to roll up their sleeves and tackle litter with the seriousness the problem deserves. It's time we stopped treating our towns, and our uniquely beautiful countryside, like an open-air rubbish dump.'



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