social enterprise

This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Keep Britain Tidy has issued a ‘war cry’ on litter, demanding a complete re-think on the way the country tackles dirty streets.

The anti-litter charity unveiled the This is our Home manifesto which outlines short-term fixes as well as a sustained campaign over the next decade to change behaviour and rid the country of litter.

Measures include:
• A new gold standard for the cleanest and best managed towns and cities
• Changes to make it easier to catch and fine motorists who throw litter from cars
• Business to take more responsibility for what happens to packaging and foods when it leaves their premises
• Local environmental quality made a central issue to all planning and design of public places – not an afterthought.

The Keep Britain Tidy document describes litter as ‘a touchstone issue for wider social decline’ and says the problem lowers quality of life and hinders economic performance.

Chief executive Phil Barton, who launched the manifesto with report author Kevin Golding-Williams, said: ‘We believe it is only by working together that we can win the battle to create high-quality, well-managed neighbourhoods – respected and enjoyed by all.

‘By creating and sustaining surroundings which local people are proud of, they will have the chance to thrive and our children will be better placed to grow up healthy, engaged members of society.’