They are often blamed for the problem but it seems it is the capital’s youth that hates litter the most.
So when the annual Capital Clean-Up Campaign gave pupils across London the chance to design an anti litter poster for their local council - judges were amazed by the response.
Hundreds of entry’s were received and most were from primary schools including Grafton Primary School in Islington where pupil Flores Trevino was Islington Council’s winner. They said;
"I would never drop litter and my friends wouldn’t either. It is bad for the environment and makes our country look ugly."
"At school we do litter picks and make sure the playground and outside the front of the school are clean. I hope my poster will stop people dropping their litter round here."
The competition is part of the campaign’s Education Week that aims to inform as many people as possible about the harm littering causes to the environment. Other education focussed activities included a campaign about cigarette litter in Tooting as well as education talks taking place in shopping centres in Lewisham and Brent.
Supported by; Keep Britain Tidy, London councils, the Metropolitan Police, and businesses including McDonald’s and Enterprise, the six week Capital Clean-Up Campaign is now in its fourth year.
Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: "We know that young people are the best ambassadors for the anti litter message. They are very passionate, and are good at spreading the word amongst friends and families that we must look after our environment."
The campaign runs until June 23rd and over 200 separate events have been planned this year. Activities range from a week of enforcement by the Police, education focused events led by schools and litter picks organised by volunteering members of the public.
The campaign aims to make immediate improvements to London’s grot spots in the short term, with the Olympics in sight, but also create behaviour change in the long term and restore people’s ownership and pride in local areas.
Find out more about how to get involved with the Capital Clean-Up Campaign by visiting www.capitalcleanup.co.uk
Notes To Editors
The campaign has been running for three years and aims to make London a cleaner, safer, greener capital for the Olympics and beyond.
Enterprise is the campaign’s primary sponsors. They provide infrastructure maintenance services to the public sector and utilities industry. For more information visit www.enterprise.plc.uk
Graham Street Park is looked after by Islington Council, which supports the aims of the Capital Clean-Up Campaign.
The campaign is supported by; The Co-operative Membership, Hyde Housing, Family Mosaic, British Transport Police, Network Rail, Change Makers, 30 London Boroughs, Greater London Authority, Keep Britain Tidy, McDonalds, Business in the Community, Greater London Volunteering, London Probation Service.
Keep Britain Tidy is the anti-litter charity for England. We are passionate about cleaner greener places and run Eco-Schools, Green Flag Award for parks (in partnership with BTVC and GreenSpace), and Blue Flag/Quality Coast Awards for beaches. TV star Kirstie Allsopp is our ambassador. To find out more about us and to become a supporter visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.
Press enquiries
Contact the Keep Britain Tidy press office:
Jill Partington 01942 612 679 jill.partington@keepbritaintidy.org
Keep Britain Tidy Mobile (24 hours, 7 days a week): 07768 880016
Keep Britain Tidy has ISDN radio facilities for interviews
ISDN: 01942 322178
Please contact the press office in advance to make arrangements