Case Study - Ipswich  Car litter campaign aimed to drive down dirtSuffolk County Council introduced a car litter bag initiative as part of the county-wide Suffolk Spring Clean campaign. Simple, recycled paper bags were used for the scheme, printed with anti-littering messages and the Cleaner Ipswich hotline number. Fast food cartons, cans and crisp packets thrown from cars are a headache for many local authorities. Ipswich Council, which works with neighbouring authorities to manage a cleansing regime for the busy A14 trunk road, decided to tackle the problem head-on. The aims were to create awareness of the problem caused by people throwing litter from vehicles, the dangers to staff who have to clear it from busy roadsides, and the cost of doing this, and to achieve a reduction in litter on roadside verges. All drivers were targeted in the campaign. Samples were sent round for comments prior to the public launch. The initiative took 6–12 months from idea to implementation. The bag is a simple white part-recycled paper bag, with anti-littering messages printed on it and the Cleaner Ipswich hotline.
As well as a useful store for car litter, the bags doubled up as goody bags during educational school visits by the litter enforcement officers. Local companies distributed the bagsThe council contacted local vehicle dealerships and found a dealer happy to take 3,000 of the litter bags. They agreed to place one in every new car sold and in vehicles coming in for service or repair. The dealership’s managing director was so supportive of the initiative that he agreed to be interviewed in the local press and on BBC Radio Suffolk. As a result of the publicity, the manager of a McDonald’s on a slip road to the A14 got in touch with the council. The fast food outlet took 5,000 bags to give out to customers, got staff to advise customers on how to dispose of their litter responsibly and even made a banner for the side of the premises stating that they supported the Cleaner Ipswich hotline. McDonald’s also agreed to take more bags until the council’s stocks ran out. Tackling challengesThe most difficult aspect of the scheme was in measuring how effective the bags had been in reducing litter thrown from vehicles.
However, the council admits the reduction in litter could also be down to active litter enforcement patrols. A major obstacle facing the development of the initiative was to gain initial funding for the bags.
Another challenge was choosing a design for the bags that was both environmentally and user friendly and contained relevant messages. The litter bags went out to smaller car dealerships and local service stations, though the council found that the latter were rather lukewarm about the initiative. Cigarette litterIpswich Council continued its litter campaigning with an event designed to cut down on the number of cigarette butts thrown on the ground. A giant cigarette butt handed out leaflets in Ipswich town centre, advising the public about fixed penalty notices – and won good media coverage locally. Pubs and clubs also received coasters with the "yeah...but no butts" message warning of fines for dropping butts. Similarly, the Benji character, a two-metre yellow dog with black spots, spread the word about dog fouling in parks and open spaces, giving out ‘worthy’ bags to dog-walkers and balloons to children. The litter enforcement officers also issued fixed penalty notices for littering and dog fouling offences. Percy the penguin visited schools to educate pupils about how to dispose of litter, and helped the children carry out litter picks around their schools. For more information, please contact Glynis Wood on 01473 432994 |
