The impact of litter

In Scotland 475 pieces of litter are dropped every minute, reaching a grand total of 250 million items per year. Litter is an anti-social behaviour which is a blight on our environment and a financial burden. This is highlighted by the fact that it costs Perth & Kinross Council over £2 million per annum to clear up litter. Paying for the clean-up also diverts money away from other public services like schools and roads.

However, the cost of litter is more than financial. It not only detracts from the beauty of an area, but also has an impact on health, wildlife, society, and wellbeing.

Littering kills and injures countless animals. They get harmed through:

• becoming trapped or injured by sharp objects present in litter
• climbing inside plastic bags and suffocating
• attempting to eat litter and choking
• ingesting litter that contains toxic chemicals

Littering can also cause soil, water, visual, and air pollution. Harmful chemicals can leak out of litter and pollute soil and water. This can cause health issues in animals and toxins can enter the human body via the food chain. Over 40% of the world's litter is burned in the open air, which causes substantial air pollution that can contribute to respiratory issues and other health problems.

We must all work together to stop littering, achieve a cleaner environment, and help maintain pride in our community. Every person can help change attitudes towards littering and encourage the clean-up of litter to care for the environment.

Please visit our interactive map to view your nearest litter picking host.

Take Action

Get in touch with a litter picking host to get involved. You can use the contact details provided to directly contact your nearest host and discuss the borrowing, sharing and returning of the litter pickers in your area.