Communities across North Yorkshire are being given more support to tackle the blight of litter in a new summer campaign aimed at cleaning up some of the county’s most popular destinations.
We have teamed up with parish and town councils to encourage residents and visitors to protect the environment, particularly with the school holidays on the horizon.
To remind people to dispose of their rubbish responsibly, parish and town councils will be displaying new weatherproof anti-littering posters in areas in their communities.
The campaign is aimed at generating a debate about the issues of littering, and the impact it has on communities across the county. It will feature common terms using the Yorkshire dialect including ‘Gerrit in’t bin’ and ‘Take yer litter home, ta’.
Executive member for street scene, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “We know that most residents and visitors dispose of their litter correctly, they either find a bin or take it home with them.
“We’re very lucky to live in such a beautiful place and welcome visitors who come here to enjoy the stunning locations that are on our doorstep.
“However, there is a small minority of people who don’t respect their local environment and show a blatant disregard for the places they live or visit.
“This summer campaign is an important way to encourage pride in our communities and spread the anti-littering message, which we are doing with the help of town and parish councils, partners and businesses.
“We know there are countless volunteer groups and individuals who got out in towns and villages, working hard to keep them looking amazing.
“They shouldn’t have to do this. We want residents and visitors to know that dropping litter is unacceptable. We’re proud of where we live, North Yorkshire is a stunning county, and we want it to stay that way.
“Tackling littering is one of our key priorities as we look to protect wildlife and the environment. We hope our message will resonate in all corners of the county to make North Yorkshire a pleasant place to live, work and visit.”
We are installing posters in laybys and at busy tourist hotspots from Richmond Falls to Scarborough and Whitby’s coastal areas.
Road users will also be reminded not to litter from vehicles as the high-profile campaign includes anti-littering messages on car parking tickets, on petrol pumps, at service stations and on buses operating across North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire is England’s largest county with 3,090 square miles and 615,000 residents. With the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks sitting in its boundary, the county sees a surge in holiday-makers during the summer months.
There are more than 100 parish and town councils joining the campaign with more than 800 posters due to be appearing in towns and villages across the county.
The chairman of Scorton Parish Council, David Rafelt, said: "Litter is unsightly, damaging to wildlife and detrimental to the wider environment, both locally and globally.
“It is also completely unnecessary. Littering is disrespectful and lazy, it is so easy to use a bin or take it home. I urge everyone to look after their community and our planet.”
Research has shown that more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day, and around 350 million drinks cans are picked up from the ground every year.
Getting rid of litter from the streets costs £1 billion a year, according to research by the Keep Britain Tidy charity.