Miranda Newsom, www.theaccidentalecomaniac.com |  |
Local hero: The founder of Litter Heroes
We’re taking a closer look at community heroes, people who don’t just whinge about problems, but work to create solutions. These heroes take a stand for the environment, inspiring and motivating us all to live greener lives.
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The second in our series of local heroes is Tim Barnes, 47, from Cheltenham, who founded www.LitterHeroes.co.uk.
The UK is one of the most littered countries in Europe. Why?
A couple of years ago my wife and I cycled from Calais to Istanbul, travelling through many countries. Only Serbia had more litter than the UK. Councils spend around £500 million a year picking up litter, but people continue to drop it.
Why? I think older people were taught as children not to litter, but there’s a generation growing up that hasn’t been given the message – either by parents or schools. The growth of fast food has also brought more litter.
Should fast food and drink manufacturers take more responsibility?
I think the polluter should pay. You can argue about who the polluter is – the manufacturer or the consumer – but companies producing products that are heavily littered should take some responsibility.
Perhaps if your product meets a certain litter threshold, your company should pay a levy for the clear-up. That would give companies an incentive to work with their customers to reduce litter.
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What about returning glass bottles, like in the past?
Manufacturers decided it’s easier and cheaper to produce single use plastic bottles or aluminium cans instead of glass bottles. Around 70% of rural litter is cans or plastic bottles, so a Bottle Bill would help. [Bottle Bills are container deposit laws: you pay more then get a refund when you return it for recycling. Learn more].
Would bioplastics or degradable products help?
I’m not so sure. If it’s biodegradable, people might think it’s okay to drop it, like they do with banana skins, which actually take around a year to degrade – disfiguring the countryside in the meantime.
How did you decide to channel your irritation and frustration into something positive?
The government prioritises litter collection for busy roads and city centres, but residential roads and rural locations are neglected unless someone complains. After our trip abroad we were taking a country walk and got annoyed about all the litter, so the next time we took a bag and started collecting it.
It sounds insignificant, but actually it’s quite a hurdle for people to pick up their first bit of litter. It seems a slightly nutty thing to do, and you have to steel yourself, but once you start you find it’s actually enjoyable and satisfying. I set up Cotswold Litter Heroes to galvanise other volunteers to help clean up the Cotswolds.
How do you rate the UK government on the litter issue?
The government funds Encams which runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, but I don’t think government really engages with the litter problem. We measure littering better in the UK than anywhere else, but we’re worst at stopping it or picking it up. Government puts a lot of money into surveys saying it’s getting worse, but not into effective solutions. Central government pushes the problem off onto local authorities.
The government funds Encams which runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, but I don’t think government really engages with the litter problem. We measure littering better in the UK than anywhere else, but we’re worst at stopping it or picking it up. Government puts a lot of money into surveys saying it’s getting worse, but not into effective solutions. Central government pushes the problem off onto local authorities.
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What about programmes in schools?
Schools can help get the message across, but it will take a long, sustained campaign, like 10 years of a consistent message and enforcement, similar to the drink driving campaign. Recently I spoke with a man from New Zealand about the problem. They have a strong culture in schools, with litter picking and beach cleaning, so it’s unusual for New Zealand school kids to drop litter.
Schools can help get the message across, but it will take a long, sustained campaign, like 10 years of a consistent message and enforcement, similar to the drink driving campaign. Recently I spoke with a man from New Zealand about the problem. They have a strong culture in schools, with litter picking and beach cleaning, so it’s unusual for New Zealand school kids to drop litter.
Do you confront litterbugs?
In the 12 months since I started the campaign I’ve only actually seen two people dropping litter, and I didn’t have the opportunity to confront them. Anyway confrontation isn’t something I would recommend.
In the 12 months since I started the campaign I’ve only actually seen two people dropping litter, and I didn’t have the opportunity to confront them. Anyway confrontation isn’t something I would recommend.
Have many people joined the effort?
I am convinced there are people out there who will join if they know about it. Any publicity generates quite a lot of interest. A lot of schemes are difficult – you have to organize a group of people to show up on a certain date to litter pick. We say, “While you’re having your normal walk, just take along a bag and pick up litter.” It’s much more do-able, not another thing to have to fit into your busy schedule.
I am convinced there are people out there who will join if they know about it. Any publicity generates quite a lot of interest. A lot of schemes are difficult – you have to organize a group of people to show up on a certain date to litter pick. We say, “While you’re having your normal walk, just take along a bag and pick up litter.” It’s much more do-able, not another thing to have to fit into your busy schedule.
Are you an eco hero?
Haha. Not at all. I am actually an eco Neanderthal. [Tim claims despite working as manager of www.ITSchoolsAfrica.org, a charity that delivers recycled computers to schools in Africa.] I don’t campaign on other issues or get too excited about global warming. But strangely, since litter picking I’ve been much more conscious of waste, and I do recycle more now. So Litter Heroes has had a positive effect on me environmentally.
Haha. Not at all. I am actually an eco Neanderthal. [Tim claims despite working as manager of www.ITSchoolsAfrica.org, a charity that delivers recycled computers to schools in Africa.] I don’t campaign on other issues or get too excited about global warming. But strangely, since litter picking I’ve been much more conscious of waste, and I do recycle more now. So Litter Heroes has had a positive effect on me environmentally.
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