‘Drop by, but don’t drop your litter’ says National Highways ahead of holiday season

National Highways’ teams have just collected close to five tonnes of litter from roads in the South West, as part of the Great British Spring Clean effort earlier in the spring.

It is the 10^th year National Highways has supported Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign and the company, responsible for England’s motorways, also carried out a recent study which revealed that 65% of drivers who admit to littering have discarded food and drink waste on the roadside.

During the Great British Spring Clean, National Highways’ contractors collected 670 bags of litter from its motorways, the A417/A419 routes in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and the A35 in Dorset – at 7kg a bag, equivalent to 4,700kg or 4.7 tonnes.

And across the last year, contractors have collected a total of 5,760 bags of litter from the south west’s motorways – the M5, M4, M49, M32 and M48.

A new range of anti-litter signage was installed along National Highways’ roads and motorway service areas at Michaelwood, Gloucester, Gordano and Taunton Deane along the M5, Leigh Delamere on the M4 and other litter hot-spots in recent weeks.

And now, following the Great British Spring Clean purge and with the Whitsun Week and summer holidays around the corner, the company is calling on drivers to do their bit to reduce litter levels in the region.

Andrew Gale, South West Service Manager for National Highways, said: “Litter is a huge issue and while it was good to be involved in the Great British Spring Clean, it’s an everyday activity for our contractors, keeping on top of the litter blight.

“Roadside litter is not just unsightly but it’s a threat to wildlife and the environment and it can also be a safety hazard for drivers, can block drains and picking it up puts roadworkers at risk.

“We appreciate a lot of people like to visit our beautiful part of the world, particularly during the summer months – and our advice to drivers is clear: don’t drop litter.

“Please use any bins provided in laybys, heed the signage, and keep a bag in your car to store litter until you can dispose of it responsibly.”

National Highways’ research shows that 10% of drivers do not think that people who collect litter from the side of the road are taking any risks with their lives.

And of those who admitted to littering:

·       22% say they do it out of habit

·       20% intentionally discard biodegradable items to feed wildlife – despite the fact this causes 3 million animal deaths a year 

·       15% do so because they say they don’t have time to dispose of it properly

·       13% justify their actions by claiming “everyone does it” 

The Great British Spring Clean campaign took place between 21 March and 6 April, and while National Highways’ contractors clear litter on motorways and a small number of A roads, litter on the majority of A roads falls on local authorities to clear, and in order that it can be collected safely National Highways also teams up with councils to co-ordinate any necessary closures.

Reducing the amount of roadside litter has positive safety and environmental benefits and also provides a significant saving in terms of time and money spent on clearing rubbish from the roadsides.

Mr Gale added: “Litter collections on our A roads are the responsibility of local authorities and hopefully we can get the message across that litter not only impacts people’s lives but also has a significant economic impact for our councils across the region.

“The simple fact is that if litter wasn’t dropped in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up. So, this is an opportunity to remind people that they too can make a difference simply by saving litter for the bin.”

National Highways’ involvement in the Great British Spring Clean formed part of a broader strategy to influence behaviour, promote responsible waste disposal, and maintain cleaner roads.

During this year’s effort, National Highways and its supply chain partners collected almost 8,000 bags of litter, an increase of 30% compared to last year’s figure.

Alongside the efforts of regional operational teams collecting rubbish from roadsides and laybys, staff also volunteered during their lunch breaks to collect litter near offices and depots, and volunteer litter-picking days were also organised.

People can find out for more information about National Highways' litter strategy on the company web page, while maintenance issues can be reported to National Highways via the website or by calling 0300 123 5000.

Notes to Editors

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.

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