An almost 10% reduction of food and drink on the go litter was recorded following an innovative behaviour change project delivered in the Forth Valley earlier this year.
Delivered by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful – and involving Forth Valley College - the project led to a reduction of littered items such as bottles, cans, single-use cups and food packaging. Additionally, a 32.6% decrease in other general litter types was recorded.
The project involved a collaboration between Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council, Stirling Council, Forth Valley College and was funded in-part by CCEP (Coca Cola EuroPacific Partners).
It was developed as part of the charity’s actions to support the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy (NLFS) Year 1 Action Plan and Keep Scotland Beautiful has now published a report on the Forth Valley Litter Intervention, which was aimed to raise awareness and tackle food and drink on the go related litter.
Surveys were conducted to assess the amount of litter in the areas around the three college sites and what types of litter was there. Perception surveys were also conducted amongst college students and staff members.
An ambitious approach to advertising was also utilised, including digital advertising which helped raise awareness of issues relating to food and drink on the go litter and encouraged people to bin their litter while on the go, and ran for four weeks.
A billboard was unveiled on Stirling’s Cowane Street reinforcing the message Enjoy it on the way…Bin it on the way, and bin visibility and ‘binfrastructure’ was increased in Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk. www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 2
Paul Wallace, Campaigns and Social Innovation Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “The Forth Valley Litter Intervention was a brilliant success, having a positive impact on food and drink on the go related litter in Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk.
“Furthermore, the findings will be invaluable for us to deliver further projects like this. We keep saying the litter emergency didn’t happen overnight and it won’t be fixed overnight, but it’s true. There is still a problem, and we want to continue working in partnership with organisations, communities and businesses to target and address these behaviours.
“I’d like to thank Forth Valley College, Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk Councils and CCEP for their support throughout this project.”
Keep Scotland Beautiful is committed to playing its part in reversing Scotland’s litter emergency and will continue to support the delivery of the Scottish Government’s National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and Action Plan.
You can read the full report here