Monday 20 August 2018

More than £300k announced to bin litter across UK

More than £300,000 of funding has been made available in a second round of financing for community projects cracking down on litter.

Announced by Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey, the scheme aims to help councils, charities, businesses and public projects to take innovative steps to tackle waste.

The first round saw almost £125,000 spent on a range of measures, including tackling littering by football fans, and working with hauliers and business owners to reduce roadside rubbish.

The funding builds on the government’s wider Litter Strategy for England, as well as the recent launch of the 25-Year Environment Plan setting out how government will protect and enhance our natural environment.

Around 10% of the fund is dedicated to preventing marine litter, where plastic waste often ends up harming wildlife.

Keeping the country’s streets clean cost local government almost £700 million last year, with around a fifth of people admitting to dropping litter.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: "This government is tough on tackling litter which if left unchecked makes our towns and cities less pleasant places, poisons our wildlife and blights our countryside.

"That is why we are providing grants of up to £10,000 for communities to come up with creative solutions to tackle litter in their local area and I encourage local groups to apply."