Litter
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has plans to (a) engage companies in action to reduce litter, including in relation to non-biodegradable packaging dropped as litter, and (b) engage the general public in action to reduce litter.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra issued ‘Reducing litter caused by ‘food on the go’: A voluntary code of practice for local partnerships’, which is aimed at businesses. It provides a framework to help businesses and other relevant organisations to reduce the litter that comes from selling and consuming food on the go.
The Eco-Schools programme works with schools to change littering habits. Around 1.3 million young people currently attend an Eco-school. In 2024/25 over 113,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting nearly 33,000 bags of rubbish.
National Highways is working in partnership with local councils to drive behaviour change with signage at litter hotspots and through media campaigns.
The UK Deposit Management Organisation, Exchange for Change, is responsible for ensuring strong public engagement with the Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, which is due to launch in October 2027. The DRS is expected to reduce drinks container litter by 85%. Exchange for Change are developing a consumer communications strategy to promote awareness and use of the scheme.
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