Wrigley Litter Less campaign helps to tackle looming litter emergency

As part of the international Litter Less campaign 25 schools across Scotland have received a £200 grant to support the development and implementation of campaigns in their school and wider community to tackle the looming litter emergency.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions the schools will be adapting their activities and encouraging pupils to carry out local litter surveys or litter picks with their own households as part of their outdoor exercise.

Litter Less is an annual campaign led by us on behalf of the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) and sponsored by the Wrigley Company Foundation.  It runs in 15 countries worldwide, including Scotland and supports over 1.3million children and over 20,000 educators to improve and enhance the places they love in their own villages, towns and cities by campaigning to stop litter.

This is the ninth year that we have run the campaign, and in that time, £56,000 of support has been provided to 244 Scottish schools helping them, to become more litter-ate and to purchase litter picking equipment and bins.  In addition, more than, 4,000 educators and 50,000 children and young people have been involved across Scotland.

Our Education and Learning Manager Daniel Barrie, said, “We are thrilled that we are once again able to support children and educators through the Wrigley Litter Less programme.   The successful schools will be able to use the £200 grant to buy materials needed to run their anti-litter campaigns, to support local family clean up events as part of their daily exercise, and to assist educators to understand the issues and solutions.  We very much look forward to seeing the summary reports and videos when the local campaigns conclude.”

Daniel Schaffer Chief Executive Officer of FEE said: “Pollution, waste and litter are global problems that affect our health, our perception of the planet and the integrity of the natural world of which we are a part. With the generous support of the Mars Wrigley Foundation, FEE is able to use its global network of schools to bring large-scale positive change to students around the world through transformative educational methods based on concrete actions and solutions.”

The Litter Less campaign will support the participating schools to work towards achieving their international Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.  Success stories from previous entrants can be found here.

The 2021 schools include:

St Peter's RC Primary, Aberdeen, Aberdeen City

Towie Primary School, Alford, Aberdeenshire

Alehousewells Primary School, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire

Newtonhill Primary School, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Grange Primary School, Monifieth, Angus

Sgoil a'Bhac, Back, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Rosebank Primary School, Dundee, Dundee City

Whatriggs Primary School, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

Bearsden Academy, Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire

St Martin's RC Primary School, Tranent, East Lothian

Lochgelly West Primary School, Lochgelly, Fife

Clyde Primary School, Glasgow 

St Joseph's Primary School, Woodside Glasgow

Riverbank Primary School, Dalmarnock, Glasgow

Miltonbank Primary School, Glasgow

Crossroads Primary School, Dunnet, Highland

Scourie Primary School, Lairg, Highland

Aldourie Primary School, Highland

Milne's Primary School, Fochabers, Moray

Sikeside Primary School, Coatbridge,  North Lanarkshire

Noble Primary School, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire

Craighalbert Centre, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire

Our Lady’s RC Primary School, Perth

St Charles' Primary School, Paisley, Renfrewshire

St Ninian's Primary School, Stirling