Litter blitz in local hotspots
Volunteers help restore beauty to our landscape
A staggering 1203 bags of rubbish were collected within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in just one month.
A coordinated push on litter during April saw staff from the National Park Authority, local authorities and communities get a head start on the issue ahead of the busiest visitor months.
Additional resources put in place for 2021 include three new environment officers, specifically recruited to help tackle litter and waste within the national park – which includes St Fillans and part of Loch Earn.
And communities, businesses and individuals have also been keen to get involved and help protect the park. Fortnightly volunteer clean-ups will start this month and communities are organising their own initiatives to help tackle the issue.
The NPA is now calling on visitors to play their part as well.
Simon Jones, environment and visitor services director, said: “We had dedicated staff time right through April to help clean the national park up before the influx of visitors we are expecting this summer. We’ve seen a big difference already.
“Despite this effort from our staff, partners, local businesses and communities, there is more to be done, so we are calling on everyone to take responsibility for respecting and protecting this special place.
“As well as being a serious threat to the national park’s wildlife, litter impacts local communities and affects visitors’ enjoyment while they are here. Coming out of lockdown, the benefits that people get from spending time in nature are more important than ever.
“We have significantly increased our resources on the ground for this season, with additional bins, toilets and staff to help tackle the issues we saw last year.
“But simply dedicating more and more resources to clearing litter up isn’t sustainable, or the answer long-term. We have laid the groundwork with a big push on tackling litter but we want our rangers to be on the ground helping people, not picking up after them.
“By bagging up their litter and taking it home if bins are full, visitors can play their part by leaving no trace of their visit.”
Visitors are being encouraged to share positive examples of how they dispose of their litter in the national park on social media.
In addition, the NPA is encouraging locals to sign up to Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ‘Summer Clean’.
The initiative invites people to pledge that they will collect litter in their local area and inspire others to take action to clean up Scotland.
The NPA is giving away free litter-picking sticks to the first 50 qualifying pledges from people living in the national park.
Pledges can be made between now and May 16, with the miles to be covered during the summer months.
• See the website www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/NPASummerClean for more information.