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.

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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 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.

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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.

Meanwhile, residents are being asked to share their views about rubbish and recycling as part of a major new public engagement campaign aimed at reducing waste and protecting the environment in North Yorkshire.

Responses to the Let’s Talk Rubbish survey will help us to understand residents’ behaviours and shape future improvements to its collection service.

Across the county, about 310,000 tonnes of household waste is collected each year from more than 300,000 properties. About 45 per cent of this is reused, recycled, or composted.

The formation of North Yorkshire Council brought together seven different ways of collecting household waste and recycling, which was the role of the district and borough councils.

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By looking at the existing service, the council is striving to be more efficient and cost-effective by encouraging residents to reduce household waste and increase recycling, as well as ensuring everyone receives the same, regardless of where they live.

Through Let’s Talk Rubbish, the council is consulting on the proposal to provide households with two wheelie bins for recycling – one for glass, cans and plastic, and one for paper and card, with alternate fortnightly collections.

A key aim is to reduce contamination and collect better quality material at the kerbside, which is improved when residents are able to separate recyclable material.

When paper or card is mixed with plastic or glass, or exposed to the elements, it can become wet and lower the resale value. However, by keeping these items separate, it means they are worth more to recycling manufacturers.

Two wheelie bins would also provide residents with maximum capacity to recycle as much material as they can, as well as reduce any material being scattered on the street from either the wind or wildlife on collection day.

The collection of non-recyclable rubbish will remain the same as it is now, and residents can also opt-in for garden waste collections.

As with current collections, alternative methods would also still be used for properties where storage or access is limited.

Executive member for managing our environment, Cllr Greg White, said: “Following an extensive review of the different collection methods, the proposal to provide two wheelie bins is our preferred option for recycling collections.

“It would mean residents have the capacity to recycle more, and it would also provide the best value for money, as high-quality, clean recyclable material is worth more to manufacturers.

“By reducing waste and increasing our recycling, we can also help to conserve our natural resources, protect the environment, save energy, and support our ambitions of becoming carbon negative.

“We know this is an important subject, so through Let’s Talk Rubbish, we want to know how you feel about your existing collection service and what we can all do to help achieve our goals.”

All local authorities must meet the requirements of the Environment Act 2021 and move towards improved recycling collections, where possible. The Government also expects all councils to recycle 65 per cent of their waste by 2035.

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Let’s Talk Rubbish is part of the council’s ongoing Let’s Talk campaign, listening to people who live and work in North Yorkshire. The Let’s Talk campaign has already sought the public’s views on the council’s finances, transport and a climate change strategy.

To take part in the survey.

Feedback can also be provided in the following ways:

• Pick up a paper copy of the survey from a local library or main local office and return it in the envelope provided.
• Contact North Yorkshire Council by calling 0300 131 2 131 - when prompted say ‘Let’s Talk’.
• Email LetsTalk@northyorks.gov.uk.

Accessible formats of the survey are available on request. The deadline for responses is 16 September. A schedule of face-to-face engagement events is available here.