With climate
change and the rapidly-shifting natural environment a trending topic at the
moment, we felt it would be pertinent to discuss roadside littering, its
effects and what should be put in place to prevent it. As a logistics company, we spend a huge
amount of time on the road and with that in mind, littering is an issue we feel
obliged to address.
Just recently,
BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker spoke on the programme about the issues of
littering and the sheer lack of excuses for leaving behind rubbish. Commenting on his local park over the Easter
bank holiday weekend, he found it left strewn with waste from people that had
spent the day enjoying the sun just feet away from a bin. Understandably, there aren’t always bins on
roadsides, but this certainly doesn’t give one the right to dispose of
something out of their window. It
doesn’t take much to keep a hold of your rubbish and throw it away when you’re
near a bin.
The RSPB and Keep Britain Tidy have reported
that shrews, bank voles, wood mice and other animals can get stuck in discarded
bottles and die. The ring pulls on cans
also pose a threat with smaller animals choking on them, and hedgehogs can get
their heads stuck in empty cans.
According to the Local Environment Quality Survey, there had been a
significant decrease in plastic bag littering after the introduction of the 5p
charge. It is of course encouraging to
hear that people are reducing their plastic consumption – however, it has also
found that littering remains a significant problem.
Every year Highways England clear 180,000 sacks
of litter from motorways and major A roads, a shocking statistic that shouldn’t
be this high. In 2015, the cost of
picking up litter was £1 billion in the UK, money that is spent purely due to
the carelessness of drivers. That
statistic alone should be an eye opener: imagine all the other important areas of our
country which that sum of money could be spent on. It has never been easier to recycle and to
dispose of goods with an abundance of recycling centres open, and we as a
country have the potential to make a positive change on the natural and urban
environments of the UK – all it takes is for everyone to contribute in some
way, no matter how big or small.
How could this
issue of roadside littering be tackled?
More awareness could be raised with television campaigns and in the
media, showing the effect littering has on our natural environment or a
representation of just how much it costs to clear up litter in the UK every
year. When it comes to roadside littering,
the implementation of road signs to warn against littering or fly tipping would
be a good way to reinforce the issue.
Alternatively, using service station signs to let drivers know there’s
also an opportunity to dispose of any rubbish.
In the UK, local
councils can charge up to £150 for littering from a vehicle, but perhaps the
severity of littering needs to be addressed with the potential for a more
expensive fine. More CCTV could be
supported with tougher fines, which then go on to offer an even better chance
to discourage anti-social behaviour in the future.
When you’re next
on the road and in a safe area to get out of your cab, we encourage making a
conscious effort to pick up any litter you see, this can make a small
contribution to a much bigger environmental campaign to keep our country clean. Professional drivers can be leading examples
to all road users.
Let us know on Twitter what you do to help
prevent littering in your area or on the road.
