The Government is offering over £300,000 for community projects that ‘get tough’ on litter.
This is the second round of funding from the Litter Innovation Fund, which is a part of the Government’s wider Litter Strategy for England.
The first round saw councils and other bodies awarded almost £125,000 to take innovative steps to tackle littering in their communities.
The successful projects included measures to stop littering by football fans, and work with hauliers and business owners to reduce roadside litter.
Keeping the country’s streets clean cost local government almost £700m last year.
Recent studies have also found that one in five people admit to dropping litter and one in four admit to ‘careful littering’, such as leaving drinks cans or coffee cups on window ledges.
‘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,’ said environment minister Thérèse Coffey.
‘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.
‘It is only through government and communities working together that we will affect the long-term behavioural change that is needed to tackle this scourge, and leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.’
Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton commented: ‘Innovation is a vital part of turning the tide on litter. We need to find new ways to change the behaviour of those who think it is OK to drop their rubbish on the ground and new solutions that make it easier for people to do the right thing.
‘It is fantastic to see the Government supporting innovation through this scheme, which is helping organisations and communities develop exciting new ideas and approaches, and at Keep Britain Tidy we are delighted to be receiving funds to enable us to test new behavioural interventions through our award-winning Centre for Social Innovation.’
