The Highways Agency has launched its summer campaign against roadside litter to make the UK roads cleaner.
Drivers are being reminded of the problems that litter can cause on motorways and major A roads as the Highways Agency’s summer “Bag it! and Bin it!” campaign gets underway.
The Highways Agency claimed that along a six mile stretch of the M3 motorway near London (between Junctions 1 and 2), its workers collected 189 refuse bags of litter in one night during planned maintenance work. That’s around a tonne of rubbish.
On 34 miles of the M1 between junction 24 and junction 30 in the East Midlands, roughly 2500 refuse bags of litter are collected each year.
While in the North West, in the first six months of this year, just over 32,100 refuse bags of rubbish were collected from Highways Agency roads.
For the Highways Agency, litter is not only unsightly but also a threat to the environment. Clearing rubbish puts workers at risk of injury, and diverts resources away from road maintenance and repairs. Litter can also block roadside drains and cause localised flooding, and items thrown from vehicles can be a hazard to other road users.
To get across the “Bag it! and Bin it!” message, the Highways Agency is distributing paper litter bags from its exhibition stand at events this summer. The bags are both biodegradable and recyclable.
Derek Turner, Highways Agency’s Director of Network Operations,
said: “Everyone agrees roadside litter is unsightly, and clearing it up from the roadside takes up valuable resources that could be used elsewhere. We want everyone to help us keep England’s roads clear by getting into the habit of keeping a bag in their vehicle to store their rubbish until they can find a bin for it.”
The “Bag it! and Bin it!” campaign against roadside litter is being backed by the RAC Foundation for Motoring and the IAM Motoring Trust.
Sheila Rainger, Deputy Director of the RAC Foundation, said: “With rubbish, there’s no such place as ‘away’ - every piece of litter tossed onto the carriageway has to be picked up by someone. Throwing litter onto the road is a filthy habit and there’s no excuse; it’s a waste of money which could be better spent on repairs and maintenance; and it’s a safety hazard for everyone who has to dodge bags, cans and bottles on the road. Bag it and bin it, or take it home and recycle it - whatever you do, no-one else wants to see it.”
While Neil Greig, Director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said: “It’s not uncommon for bottles and other pieces of litter to roll around the driver’s feet and get caught up under the brake pedal. If you have to brake suddenly, this could have a devastating impact on the likelihood of an accident. Simply bagging your litter in the car could be a lifesaver - a tidy car is a safe car.”
Simon McBride