East Renfrewshire groups funded to tackle litter

The funding will help them tackle litter in their own communities, improve the local environment and stem the rising tide of rubbish that is sweeping across the nation.

With communities Scotland-wide continuing to suffer from increasing amounts of litter, the Wrigley Litter Less campaign hopes to encourage children to help tackle the problem and think about their own littering behaviours.

Twenty-eight educational establishments in Scotland have received funding for 2020 which will pay for a litter campaign for their community. Previously funded schools have carried out beach cleans, installed new bins and signs, and purchased litter-picking equipment.

Young people will be challenged over the course of the year to monitor litter levels and encourage people in the wider community to stop dropping rubbish.

Daniel Barrie, Education and Learning Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented: “Communities across Scotland are struggling to stem the tide of litter that is sweeping across the nation. It’s an issue everyone can do something about and we hope that the Wrigley Litter Less campaign gives young people the opportunity to put their ideas into action to take on littering and help us to keep Scotland beautiful.”

Litter Less is an annual campaign organised in Scotland by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful on behalf of the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) and sponsored by the Wrigley Company Foundation.

Since 2012, the campaign has given away over £50,000 in grants to schools in Scotland to fund the fight against litter.

Litter Less activities will run throughout the whole year and are being delivered alongside Eco-Schools programmes in 12 countries worldwide, including Scotland.

This year the campaign will involve 28 schools in total carrying out litter surveys and four litter pick events in their communities.

Keep Scotland Beautiful has been running the campaign for six years, and in that time 218 schools have participated. Further details and case studies from previous Litter Less activities can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/litterless