Roadside litter campaign takes off in Lanarkshire

A roadside litter campaign has been launched across Lanarkshire with the aim of reducing the amount that is dumped on our roadsides. 

We've partnered with Amey and both North and South Lanarkshire Councils to reduce litter levels on Scotland’s roads. 

The campaign is our newest effort to tackle roadside litter as part of our support of the Scottish Government’s National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, following previous campaigns in other local authority areas. 

Key figures are: 

• 91% of people living in Scotland agree roadside litter creates a negative impression of our country. 

• Almost half of roadside litter (44%) is made up of food and drink packaging. 

• 2,255 bags of litter have been collected by Amey on the M74 in 2026 so far. 

A suite of advertising materials have been deployed, including bus back advertising, digital and paper billboards, and drive-through materials at local McDonald’s and Starbucks restaurants, all with the same message: give your litter a lift. 

Barry Fisher, our Chief Executive, said: “Roadside litter is a consistent problem so our efforts to tackle it have to be just as persistent. 

“The irony is that it’s arguably one of the easiest litter issues to deal with; we just need road users to make a conscious effort to take their litter home if no bins are available. 

“Having recently litter picked litter along the side of the M74 with Amey staff, I know just how dangerous and costly it is to deal with. 

“The reality is that we can’t keep Scotland beautiful if people are dropping litter from their vehicles.” 

Stewart Allan, Account Manager at Amey, said: "Roadside litter remains a persistent issue across Scotland’s road network. Between January and September 2026 alone, Amey teams collected 2,255 bags of litter from the M74 route. 

"Our teams work continuously to keep the network clean, but collecting roadside litter is not without risk. Operatives are often working close to live traffic travelling at speeds of up to 70 mph, and in some locations traffic management or slip road closures are required to allow litter picking to be carried out safely. 

"The M74/A725 Raith Interchange is a particular litter hotspot and requires regular attention. When closures are needed to protect our workforce, they can also result in additional journey time and inconvenience for road users. 

"The simplest solution is prevention. We ask everyone using Scotland’s roads to help protect our environment, our workforce and other road users by putting litter in a bin or taking it home.” 

We've been tackling the roadside litter problem for more than a decade. Click here to find out more about our previous campaigns.