After we recently revealed that 50% of Scottish adults have admitted to littering in the past 12 months, our Campaigns Manager Heather McLaughlin unpicks some of the ways in which people litter, what drives the behaviours and offers a solution to ease your guilt….
Every…..single…..week..... I remove a can or a bottle from my hedge. It may be known as tidy littering, but however you disguise it – it is still littering!
With new UK wide research conducted by YouGov and published by our sister organisation Keep Britain Tidy in the public domain, we’ve unpicked some of the Scottish habits – none of which surprise us, but most of which still horrify us – to share with you.
We often hear the frustrated cries from people we work with and volunteers who litter pick tirelessly of ‘I don’t understand why someone would do this…..?’ or ‘What kind of person would litter…..?’
We know that there are different types of litterers, and the stats available to us reveal the discreet behaviours and variety of acceptable tolerances for litter items we all have. One person may chuck litter with complete disregard, another may litter from a vehicle, but never on a street or beach. Some might never drop litter, but find it ok to leave packaging at a train or bus stop. You may know someone who would never chuck a plastic crisp bag...but are ok with throwing food items or cigarette butts. And others are tidy litterers, leaving poo bags on top of full bins or tucking what they no longer want in my hedge!
What is clear is that despite 90% of people in Scotland agreeing that our beautiful country has a litter problem, very few can honestly say they have NEVER ever dropped litter, whether by accident or deliberately.
I have to put my hand up to contributing to Scotland’s litter emergency….I am one person that contributes to these shocking stats:
More than 1.1 million people (25%) admitted to dropping unwanted food items such as fruit peel, sandwich crusts and ice cream cones ‘because it will biodegrade’.
More than 268,000 people (6%) admitted throwing or dropping litter from a vehicle window.
I have to say guilty twice!
Growing up I was told it was ok to throw my apple core out the car window when driving down to my grandparents’ house for a visit. I’ve done it in the past, but not since I was about 10 – so I am not actually counted in this polling, but I would have been in the past. I know now that I shouldn’t have. I have told my family we were wrong and we don’t anymore, but if we are honest, we all have stories like this.
I have now worked with Keep Scotland Beautiful for eight years, I’ve paid back my time, picked up more litter now than I ever dropped – does that make me litter negative?
Here’s some more stats:
Almost 403,000 people (9%) admitted they left finished items or packaging behind after sitting down to eat or drink while more than 313,000 (7%) left rubbish at a train or bus stop.
Deemed ‘polite’, ‘responsible’, ‘careful’ or ‘tidy’ littering – it is still littering. We know that some people think if there is no bin it is ok to leave it somewhere that employs a cleaner. But, realistically, if you took your litter home or held onto it until you found a bin it wouldn’t blow or roll off the bench and become litter in the gutter or street or even end up in waterways washing down river until it meets the sea and causes problems for our marine mammals and coastal communities. Litter left, tidy or otherwise, still needs to be removed and disposed of. It doesn’t magically find its way into a bin.
Almost 180,000 Scots (4%) said they left or dropped rubbish because it was too dirty, smelly or messy to take with them.
It might be understandable that some people litter food or drink on-the-go packaging….
But it is still littering, and with it comes the risk of encouraging seagulls, rats or other animals to feed on food they shouldn’t eat and support growing populations that we often complain about and find a nuisance. All our actions have consequences and when it’s dirty or smelly – it is still your responsibility.
134,000 left litter in a hedge, bush or tree (3%).
Now this one really annoys me. It is back to that litter item in my hedge….many a morning I wake up and open my curtains and look down upon a can placed carefully into my front hedge. I live in a residential area but there are bins in every direction. Someone feels a twinge of guilt, knows it is not ok to chuck the item, but discreetly hides it in my hedge, out of sight and mind to them, but not to me. Litter has consequences. On a positive note, in 2027 when Scotland welcomes a Deposit Return Scheme for cans and plastic bottles, at least I will be able to recoup the litterers’ deposit if they keep doing it!
We all benefit from living in a clean country. Our research shows that 67% of us agree litter makes us embarrassed of our own neighbourhoods and more than 70% agree litter makes public spaces unsafe for animals and children and yet these stats released paint a very different picture – so many of us are the ones causing the problem that we all complain about.
So, which littering behaviours have you been guilty of? And what action are you going to take to redeem yourself?
Yes, I was a litterer, but that’s in the past. I don’t need to be badged that forever.
We’re calling for you to change your behaviours and lead by example.
Pick up more litter than you have ever dropped – join our annual Spring Clean and take action to clean up Scotland.
Together we can demonstrate the consequences of littering, how socially unacceptable it is, and reverse the trends.
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