The Litterbug presents...

Allerdale Borough Council's Litterbug tells the story of what happens to your litter if it isn't put in the bin or recycled.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Litter
• litterbug
• Allerdale
• Borough
• Council
• waste
• rubbish
• bin
• recycle
• land
• fill
• trash
• dog
• park
• picnic
• tip

[paultheuglydog]

I litter all of the time. It is not a big deal.

[allerdalebc]

Additionally, there is the added cost of the support infrastructure to consider, such as Allerdale Borough Councils environmental wardens who offer information and support to communities wanting to combat the problem of litter, as well as enforcing fixed penalties of £75 and possible court action on those who drop litter or do not clean up after their dogs have fouled.

/continued...

[allerdalebc]

Far from being not a big deal, Allerdale Borough Council has had to set aside roughly £1.5 million for the time, effort and expense of providing this service. At a time when the Council is facing serious financial issues and a need to substantially reduce running costs, it would help if more people were considerate about the effect their litter has so that tax payers did not have to pay even more to clean up the mess left behind by others.

Ernie Davidson

Environmental Services Manager

[paultheuglydog]

Well I only litter on old roads and not in town. Well I do toss my cigarette butts on the ground no matter where I am at but I always make sure they are out so they dont start a fire. Cigarette butts are little anyway so I doubt they cause that much litter.

[allerdalebc]

Keep Britain Tidy says that cigarette waste is the most common type of littering and 78% of streets have cigarette butts on them, with the number of cigarette ends doubling in the 12 months since the introduction of the smoking ban. According to ENCAMS, it can take 18 months to 500 years for a cigarette butt to degrade. This type of litter can affect water quality and block drainage or flooding systems as well as cause harm to animals.

/continued...

[allerdalebc]

The organisation Corporate Social Responsibility says the problem of cigarette litter costs local authorities in England £340 million every year to clean up and the untidiness of it encourages other people to think it is acceptable to drop litter also.

[allerdalebc]

It currently costs Allerdale Borough Council £1.4 million a year to keep the streets clean. The tax payer then has to pay approximately £60 per tonne for burying it in landfill. This works out at another £51,000 when this is multiplied by the 856 tonnes expected to be collected and buried this year alone, not to mention the environmental impact.

/continued...

[allerdalebc]

Hi Paul,

The mother says: "Don't worry about the rubbish Johnny, that's what they're there for." She is referring to the Council's contractors which collect the litter.

Thanks for your question and thanks for watching the video.

Daniel Cattanach

Media Relations Officer

Allerdale Borough Council

[paultheuglydog]

What does that lady say right after she says "Dont worry about the rubbish Johnny"?

[Charlotte1152]

Haha you are hilarious Gazz!