In 2010, Britain spent £850 million to clean surroundings from the litter. This equals £26.90 spent every second on collecting rubbish which most of us probably would spend somewhere else.
According to Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, fast food litter accounts for 33% of all street litter in the UK while 18% accounts for sweet and chocolate wrappers.
Those quite common sources of rubbish on streets are easily carried to the nearest bin, so next time you spend £5.00 buying a burger or £0.60 buying a chocolate bar, do not forget about £26.90 you will add to your purchase if convenience to litter on the street will be your choice.
Economic impact is not the only harmful effect of littering on the streets. Litter can also harm wildlife, be a threat to public health, and damage the local economy.
On Wednesday October 12, the halls in Loughborough took part in a massive clean-up operation of the town post Freshers week, an annual event called Loughborough Picking up Litter. Armies of students from every hall raced around Loughborough picking up litter in an attempt to show support for the community they will be living in for the next few years.
Overall 386 students took part, with Cayley Hall winning the competition by bringing 26% of their hall down, and received a joint prize package from the Student Union and the Council for their efforts. Second place was Rutherford, who got 25% of their hall involved.
The litter pick, run by Loughborough Students Action, was a massive success, seeing a big jump from last year where just 128 student volunteers took part. The council truck, which picked up the bags of rubbish at designated drop off points, filled up for the first time ever, meaning it had to do a second trip.
David Cox, Action Chair, commented “It was amazing to see how engaged students can really be with their local community. By also making it into a competition between halls it spurred people on to firstly come along, and secondly make a massive impact upon their community”.
