Hands up if litter makes you embarrassed of your neighbourhood?

The scale of Scotland’s massive litter problem, and the impact it has on how people feel about their communities has been revealed as we publish two reports revealing stats that are literally too important to ignore.

The hard-hitting truth from our latest public perception survey, conducted by the Diffley Partnership, includes revelations that:

• 73% agree litter makes spaces unsafe for children;
• 67% agree litter makes them embarrassed of their neighbourhood; and
• around nine in ten people in Scotland view litter as a problem across the country (88%).

We have also published findings from the only long-term litter data set in Scotland which shows that less than 30% of sites visited by surveyors were completely free of litter polluting them and worryingly one in 12 were significantly littered.

Once again both public polling and technical data highlight that Scotland’s least affluent communities and people in urban areas are impacted more by litter and poor local environmental quality.

Barry Fisher, our Chief Executive said, “Litter continues to be a dirty topic.  Our data provides clear and unambiguous evidence that people in Scotland believe litter makes them feel embarrassed and unsafe, damages the reputation of local areas and leads to other anti-social behaviours, in addition to damaging nature and our environment.

“While it is concerning that people feel litter is more common this year than last, our research continues to show strong support for preventative measures to tackle this issue, demonstrating the public desire for us to call for greater, more urgent funding and action to tackle Scotland’s litter emergency as we approach the 2026 Scottish election and our flagship mass litter pick - Spring Clean.

“We claim to be a proud nation. The way we treat our country suggests otherwise. We must prioritise the prevention and eradication of litter, and we will continue to urge national and local government and industry to work with us to create a future where litter-free spaces are the norm, rather than the exception.”

Broadcaster and charity ambassador Stephen Jardine commented: “As I travel the country listening to people debate the issues affecting Scotland and beyond it’s clear that underlying the topical issues of health care and the cost-of-living crisis, the quality of people’s communities’ matter to them. 

“Litter, dog fouling, graffiti and flytipping are all indicators of a poor-quality environment – complaints about these crimes are common, they rumble on in daily conversations, but the seriousness of the wider impacts are often overlooked. 

“Keep Scotland Beautiful has revealed just now much good quality local environments matter to people – now we need to listen and ensure tackling litter achieves the priority it deserves.”

Read the full Scottish Litter Survey 2025 and the How Clean Are Your Streets? reports and join our call for more urgent action.