The UK is suffering from a deluge of litter on our streets, a fly-tipping endemic, and councils who are failing to regularly collect our bins. That's why GB News is launching a new petition demanding: Stop Trashing Britain.
Every year in the UK, 30 million tonnes of litter is dropped onto our streets, parks, fields, lakes and rivers, tarnishing the beautiful and historic villages, towns and cities we are lucky enough to call home.
Litter can range from a chocolate bar wrapper to an overflowing black bin bag dumped on the side of the street. No matter the size, one thing is for certain - it is an unsightly problem that we are all sick of.
More than 85 per cent of Britons say that litter is an issue in their area, harming our streets, environments and wildlife.
Sign our petition to stop the litter blight across our United Kingdom
Two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day, and unsurprisingly, this clean-up operation is a costly one. Clearing up litter from UK streets costs British taxpayers around £500million every year.
Yet despite its negative impacts being felt all across the county, 48 per cent have admitted to dropping litter - a figure that is likely higher if more people owned up.
Littering in the UK is a criminal offence subject to a fine of up to £2,500 on summary conviction in court. However, it is often acted against under civil powers who collect Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN).
Less than half of all FPNs issued by local councils are even paid, with the average fine being just £75.
Do you have a story about litter you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing holly.bishop@gbnews.uk
Two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK everyday
Getty
. Leaving items beside bins and recycling banks counts as fly-tipping
PAFPN charges amount to approximately £1.4million in revenue for local authorities, a drop in the ocean when compared to the £500million plus spent on removing litter every year.
Fly-tipping has also become an epidemic, with offenders treating the UK’s streets and green spaces as their own personal skip.
And it’s not just dumping items behind a hedge that constitutes the offence. Leaving items beside bins and recycling banks, on the floor of communal bin areas, and outside closed charity shops all count as an act of fly-tipping.
It is a criminal offence subject to a penalty of up to £50,000 for large-scale offences or a 12-month prison sentence, or both, on summary conviction. Local authority enforcement officers can issue an FPN of up to £1,000 for small-scale cases.
South west England saw a “marked increase” in fly-tipping between 2022 and 2023, with South Somerset having the highest increase in the area at 67.5 per cent.
Farmers and landowners often bear the cost of removing the waste. CLA South West Regional Director Ann Maidment said: “On average, they pay £1,000 to remove the waste.
“In some cases they have paid up to £100,000 to clear up other people's mess or risk facing prosecution themselves,” she added.
And as our streets and green spaces continue to become more and more untidy, another worry pressing Britons is the number of councils reducing their bin collection services.
Fly-tipping has also become an epidemic, with offenders treating the UK’s streets and green spaces as their own personal skip
GettyWith a growing number of local authorities reducing their collections to once every three weeks, or in some cases four, residents across the country have been voicing their concerns about rubbish potentially “overflowing” onto the streets.
In Bishop’s Stortford, a town in East Herts which will see its bin collection times decreased in May, GB News spoke with residents who were concerned about the changes.
“If the collections are reduced, people are just going to be dumping their stuff,” said one woman.
One man quipped: “It would be amazing if you could go outside with your bin and it was actually empty to put more rubbish into it.”
Vermin and foul smells have also been cited as main causes for concerns, with rat sightings becoming a far too common occurrence.
It's time to stand up for Britain and deliver harsher penalties to those who do not respect our shared spaces and stop this litter blight on our country. Together, we can protect Britain’s beauty and ensure a cleaner future we can be proud of.
Sign our petition now to call on the Government to introduce a minimum fine of £1,000 for littering or fly-tipping and to enforce mandatory jail sentences of at least three months upon a third conviction.”
The campaign is being endorsed by Reform UK, who are “delighted to support" the 'Stop Trashing Britain' campaign, which “rightly aims to restore pride in our streets”.
“It is only right that harsher punishment be given to those who blight our landscape with litter and rubbish. Whilst the Tories and Labour have allowed our streets to fall into a sorry state, GB News, supported by Reform UK are taking the action needed.
“Reform UK will support this campaign all the way to ensure our streets are cleaner and safer for all Britons.”
Sign our petition to stop the litter blight across our United Kingdom
