Let’s paws plastic
The Scottish SPCA is pledging 500 miles to Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Summer Clean.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is asking people to pledge time to pick up litter over the campaign from May 28 until June 20 where one hour equals three miles.
Staff members across the society will be taking part in the Paws on Plastic initiative, alongside Keep Scotland Beautiful’s campaign, encouraging people to pick up at least two pieces of litter per dog walk.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity received 273 calls to its helpline about animals affected by litter from January to May.
That’s almost two incidents every day and a similar figure to the same period in 2020 when there were 265 accounts.
We see first-hand the devastating consequences litter can have on animals. Seals and birds get caught up in fishing line or wire or animals can ingest small pieces of rubbish and choke or die.
The sad thing is these injuries and deaths are entirely avoidable if people just disposed of their rubbish responsibly.
We are proud to be making a difference by taking part in Paws on Plastic for the Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Summer Clean.
The Scottish SPCA is dedicated to improving the lives of animals through protecting environments and habitats to ensure Scotland’s wildlife can thrive for years to come.
Picking up litter will help people respect their environment and protect animals from the dangers of litter. No matter how small, it has the potential to be hazardous or lethal to pets, wildlife and farm animals.
The public should exercise caution and be careful when picking up litter and we ask that children taking part be accompanied by a responsible adult.
We recommend picking up litter with a dog bag or litter picker to avoid direct contact with any litter and do not pick up anything that could be harmful like glass or sharp objects.
Any syringes found should not be picked up but reported to the local authority emergency waste uplift team informing them of the location of the syringe.
Mike Flynn, Scottish SPCA chief
superintendent.