Campaign Launched: Survey Reveals One in Four People Admit to ‘Carefully’ Littering Their Rubbish

Bedford Borough Council is joining Keep Britain Tidy to tackle 'careful littering'. This is the coffee cup left on a window ledge, or the sandwich wrapper abandoned on a park bench.

A YouGov survey revealed that more than a quarter of people (27%) admitted to this kind of littering. Keep an eye out for floor vinyls, stickers and posters in Bedford town centre to tackle this littering behaviour. These will act as a gentle reminder that whether it is 'carefully' placed or simply thrown on the floor, it's #StillLittering.

In a trial of this campaign across the country by Keep Britain Tidy and the People's Postcode Lottery, areas saw the total amount of litter reduced by a fifth. In some areas, the reduction was up to 57%.

Councillor Charles Royden, Portfolio Holder for Environment said "These stickers, posters and vinyls are going up across Bedford town centre to remind people that whether rubbish is 'carefully' placed or thrown on the floor, it is still littering. We do not tolerate littering, this is enforced by the Councils Environmental Enforcement officers, and has seen over 1400 fines issued just for littering since the start of 2019."