People in Lincolnshire urged to take responsibility for their rubbish
It comes after calls for a nationwide litter strategy to be put in place
People across Lincolnshire are being urged to be responsible in how they dispose of their waste; after campaigners from Keep Britain Tidy call for more to be done by the government to reduce the country litter problem.
Teams from the organisation walked a total of 1,140 miles across England between 2013 and 2024, identifying litter in a representative sample of urban and rural sites.
The charity said more than 90% of these areas contained litter, as it published a report into the findings of its annual litter surveys on Wednesday.
During the latest 2023-2024 survey, teams found that just nine in every 100 locations in England were litter-free.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive at Keep Britain Tidy, said the report is a "wake-up" call before warning that litter is not only an eyesore but can prevent investment, create inequality, damage the environment and make people feel depressed or unsafe.
"It's unacceptable that the most deprived communities are bearing the brunt of the country's litter problem," she added.
"If we are to make significant strides towards creating litter-free spaces for everyone, we need to set a new course and take coordinated action."
Ms Ogden-Newton said the UK needs a "national strategy with robust targets and monitoring, clear focus and adequate resourcing".
"We're calling on the Government, industry and individuals to work together with us to create a future where litter-free spaces are the norm, rather than the exception
We've been speaking to Councillor Ronald Shepherd, from North East Lincolnshire Council, who has been telling residents of Lincolnshire the best ways to ensure their waste is taken care of properly.
"If you are using a waste carrier, make sure the are registered; and that you know that the waste is being disposed in the proper manner."
"Buying items with less packaging is always a good sign, and we are trying to encourage manufactures to provide less packaging."
He also wanted to reassure residents hat their council is doing everything in their power to combat the issue.
"Last year, we recycled 20,000 tonnes of waste in the borough"
Alarmingly, litter and fly tipping isn't just on the rise in Lincolnshire's popular areas, but it's rural areas too, as Councillor Shepherd went on to say.
"There are key areas in our towns and our villages that are key hotspots for fly-tipping. However, we are seeing an increase in rural fly-tipping too"
Fly-tipping has been an issue across the UK, and Lincolnshire alongside a long list of counties across the nation who have also been suffering.
Councillor Adam Hug, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: "Councils work hard to keep parks, streets and public spaces clean and free from unacceptable littering."
However he argued that the UK must reduce overall waste to reduce litter levels.