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These all have an effect on the amount of litter produced. Click on the links to find out more, comment on the forum about them individually, use the chat form or send us a message.
Litter reduction factors
In Person
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500 Terry Francois Street
San Francisco, CA 94158
Over the Phone
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Tel. 123-456-7890
Environment Bill
The government’s much-delayed Environment Bill returned to parliament in May (26 May 2021) for the report stage and third reading in the House of Commons.
This means the bill is on track to become law in the autumn. The bill outlines how the government plans to reduce waste and make better use of resources, among other policies aimed at transforming the environment.
The Bill will establish the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and will pave the way for a new Extended Producer Responsibility regime, a binding national target on waste, new charges on single use plastic items , and many other measures.
The primary legislation needs to be fleshed out by detailed regulations, so these new measures will not come into effect this year.
The Environment Bill will also give the Government a new power to ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries.
Extended Producer Resposibility (EPR)
Manufacturers will become responsible for the full cost of disposing of the packaging waste they create.
This will boost recycling and incentivise the design of reusable and recyclable packaging. The present packaging regulations set more limited recycling targets, which vary according to the type of material.
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EPR Outcomes
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Unnecessary packaging - packaging is avoided; this will help reduce packaging and packaging waste
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Opportunities to replace single-use packaging with reusable or refillable packaging increase, particularly for consumer products
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More packaging is designed to be recyclable, so packaging that cannot be recycled will cease to be used where it can be avoided
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Packaging waste recycling increases. It is proposed that by 2030, 73% of all packaging placed on the UK market and in scope of EPR will be recycled
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Quality of packaging materials presented for recycling increases across the packaging value chain and more packaging is recycled into higher value and closed loop applications
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That EPR and the DRS contribute to less packaging being littered.
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Deposit Return Schemes
(DRS)
As promised in the Waste and Resources Strategy, the Government will introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
As yet it has not been decided whether this will apply to all bottles and cans or just the smaller ones which are discarded “on the go’. This will have implications for the drinks manufacturers as well as for consumers.
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A Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a vital ingredient in the fight against litter but, to be effective it needs to run alongside Extended Producer Responsibility legislation which is currently not expected to be delivered until late 2023. In addition, the England and Wales DRS is out of step with the Scottish DRS (which currently has an ambitious delivery target early 2021) and this could cause a number of problems. So timing is a major complication and may threaten the integrity of what eventually emerges.
Enforcement of Fines
*The Environment Bill, when enacted, will take steps to make litter enforcement “more effective”: it allows more 'top-down' pressure on local authorities to exercise their powers.
However there is still much confusion about what is a very complicated area.
(See here for a detailed summary of the law and its implications)
For instance, how much is the delay to EPR and its link to funding for local authorities holding up improvements?
Is it worth looking at low cost ways to make the system of enforcement more effective without having to wait for EPR to be delivered?
If communication between local authorities is improved, will this lead to mutual help and improved sharing of good practice?
We invite those tasked with enforcing the litter laws to share their ideas with each other. Please make suggestions in the Forum.
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more detail
A Local Campaign?
There are limited options for influencing a National Litter Campaign, but there is plenty that can be done at grass roots level, especially if you work with your local authority.
Many local authorities have, or are putting in place, a Zero Waste Strategy. If not, there is scope for using examples of those that do have a strategy to influence your local council. This can be a good basis for a local campaign about litter.
On this site we are putting together a ‘Campaign Cookbook’ that will enable others to choose what has been tried before and devise their own local campaign.
We are asking for (costed) 'recipes' from those who have tried interventions that influence behaviour: local or national organisations, including local councils, that have tested their project and cut litter as a result. There will also be other elements that might form part of any campaign.
If you want to make a difference locally, you can choose a recipe, add extra ingredients, and work with others to find the resources needed to get started!
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Let us know what you think in the Forum.
Education
" One approach to litter education is through the Eco-Schools programme, which provides a seven-step framework for schools to follow, based around nine sustainable development education topic areas."
from Educating on litter in schools – Phillips and Holt
(KBT_Journal_of_Litter_and_Environmental_Quality p33)
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An alternative approach is suggested by CPRE, e.g.: How to Run a Whole School Litter Campaign
(follow the above links for details)
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These consider getting the message across through schools but what about everybody else?
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