Stratford-on-Avon District Council is going back on the road with a series of roadshows in Alcester, Southam and Henley-in-Arden.
The roadshows will encourage people to not drop litter and to be more responsible for their own litter, to switch to reusable products, to recycle and learn more about the Refill scheme, to help reduce single-use plastic, a major source of litter in communities.
The roadshows will be taking place at:
- Thursday 9 September 10am to 2pm Moorfields car park. Alcester
- Thursday 16 September 10am to 2pm Wood Street car park, Southam
- Thursday 23 September 10am to 2pm Outside the old Barclays Bank, Henley-in-Arden
The roadshows will provide advice on disposing of litter and information on the time it takes for rubbish to degrade, and the detrimental impact it has on the environment and wildlife. Officers will also be giving away hot/cold reusable flasks and disposable ashtrays.
Cllr Ian Shenton, Climate Change Portfolio says: "It is very disappointing that some people feel it is acceptable to discard litter. We want to try and change people's attitudes and behaviour making the dropping of litter, particularly food on the go litter, totally unacceptable.
"The District Council spends over £1.5million on clearing up our beautiful landscape and most of this is a totally avoidable cost. If we all do our bit and take our litter home, we will all help to keep Stratford District beautiful and protect the wildlife.
"The REFILL scheme has the power to help reduce plastic pollution at source by encouraging the use of reusable water bottles, coffee cups (of which we use 2.5 billion each year), bio plastics (such as hot food containers and plastic cutlery) and a reduction in packaging. The scheme enables water bottles to be refilled for free with tap water at participating businesses such as Costa Coffee, Greggs and many more. Just download the free app to find the nearest Refill Station and more about the scheme."
Following the easing of lockdown, the District Council saw a huge increase in the amount of litter being left in local parks and public open spaces and launched a new anti-litter campaign. The 'Don't be a tosser' campaign, questioning why people were dumping their rubbish, and saw posters being put up at various locations.
The aim of the campaign is to remind people that they need to clean up after themselves and bin their litter or take it home - even more important during the ongoing pandemic in helping to reduce the spread of COVID. The strapline is not intended to cause offence, but is hard-hitting to tackle the issue and draw attention.
The District Council also recognises the urgent need to reduce single use plastic waste and prior to COVID, joined the national *Refill scheme and is looking again to encourage more businesses across the district to sign up to the scheme.
For more information about the scheme please visit: www.stratford.gov.uk/refill
If you run a business and would like to sign up or learn more about the scheme, you can visit the District Council's website or sign up to the scheme via the Refill app.
*Refill is a nationwide scheme providing a network of points offering the public free tap water in the UK. The network comprises high street retailers, cafes, restaurants, other businesses, museums, and local authorities. The scheme aims to prevent waste created by single-use plastic water bottles, as well as increasing the availability of quality drinking water.
