PANDEMIC OF LITTER

We back campaign to fine litterbugs £1,000

MORE than three-fifths of people in Northern Ireland say littering and fly-tipping has exploded since lockdown was eased.

The litter epidemic is laid bare in a survey by community and information platform Inyourarea.co.uk and our nationwide network of newspapers and websites.

Most people here think there’s a problem with litter where they live:

55% said it was a big problem, 28% said it was a major problem, while 16% said it was a small problem and only 1% said there was no issue

The litter problem locally is also making people in Northern Ireland feel bad – 22% said seeing rubbish made them angry

The majority of people (61%) also think the problem has got worse since lockdown was eased. Just 5% think litter has decreased, while 30% think it’s the same

When asked what types of litter they come across most often, 88% of respondents said fast food wrappers and cups, 83% said drinks cans, 79% said plastic bottles and 51% said plastic bags, and

32% said they would be somewhat or very likely to confront the person, while 48% said somewhat or very unlikely, of whom 78% said they would be worried about how the person might react.

We are backing Inyourarea. co.uk’s drive, in conjunction with Clean Up Britain.

The campaign, Don’t Trash Our Future, is asking the Government to increase the maximum punishment for littering to a £1,000 fine or 100 hours of litter-picking.

It also wants to make it compulsory for local authorities to enforce the law on littering.

Sign the petition at: inyourarea. co.uk/news/dont-trash-our-future.

HEAR LEADER Kim makes a speech at the ceremony EYESORE Dumped rubbish Tell us what you think: