A NEW campaign has been launched urging motorists not to drop litter by the side of roads, after a charity revealed that rubbish has seen 10,000 animals injured, trapped or left for dead in the past three years.
The RSPCA and National Highways, which maintains England’s roads, want people to join their Lend A Paw – Bin Your Litter campaign.
It comes after a study shows that many drivers don’t realise there is a link between littering and wildlife, with many oblivious to the fact that discarded rubbish and fruit can attract animals, with often deadly consequences.
Almost a third of the survey participants thought dropping organic waste like an apple core or leftover food on the road was beneficial to wildlife, while around a third weren’t sure or didn’t know.
And while more than 90% said they had never discarded litter onto the roadside, over 60% said they had seen someone else doing it.
As part of a long-term effort to rid the roadsides and motorway service areas of rubbish, National Highways has run a trial using AI-enabled cameras in conjunction with a local authority that is carrying out enforcement.
National Highways has also trialled message signs to reduce motorway littering, used geofencing to send texts to motorists entering laybys where littering is an issue to prompt them to take their litter home, and will be taking part in the upcoming Great British Spring Clean for the ninth year running.
National Highways chief executive Nick Harris said: “Littering is a dreadful social problem. It’s not just unsightly, it can have a deadly impact on wildlife, turning verges into lethal roadside restaurants.
“We’re working hard to tackle it on our roads, with our people litter-picking every day. To keep them safe we have to close motorway lanes, which delays drivers and costs millions of pounds.
“But if people don’t drop litter in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up – so we urge road users to take their litter home.”
And RSPCA lead wildlife officer Geoff Edmond welcomed the campaign.
“Our rescuers deal with thousands of incidents every year where animals have been impacted by litter,” he said.
“Old drinks cans and bottles, plastic items and even disposable vapes are just some of the items that pose a danger to our wildlife including hedgehogs, squirrels, deer and foxes.
“Animals can ingest the litter, become trapped in it or be attracted to old food on the roadside which puts them in danger of moving vehicles.
“Sadly, for every animal we’re able to help there are probably many others that go unseen, unreported and may even lose their lives.”
Mr Edmond said it was easy for people to help: all they had to do was keep litter in their vehicles until it can be disposed or recycled safely
Also backing the campaign is Keep Britain Tidy. Its chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said:
“Our roads are a graveyard for small mammals and other wildlife that is attracted to the littered food and drinks that drivers illegally chuck out of their vehicles.
“We are pleased to see National Highways launch this long-awaited campaign aimed squarely at getting motorists to do the right thing, bin their rubbish and protect these precious, highly biodiverse areas where so many animals live.”
