Littering costs the borough more than £7.3million a year
Litter louts were put to shame this weekend as Lambeth Council and Keep Britain Tidy joined forces to highlight the real cost of litter in the borough.
A section of Clapham High Street was split down the middle with one side being regularly cleaned and the other side left untouched for 48 hours.
This experiment is designed to show people exactly what happens when no-one cleans up after litter bugs.
Keep Britain Tidy’s ambassador, TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp, said: “We all have a responsibility to keep our country tidy. We need to stop blaming others and put our litter in a bin or take it home. How easy is that?”
Littering has become an expensive problem in England, costing Lambeth more than £7.3million a year to clean litter off the streets.
The effects of litter can have negative impact on local businesses, house prices and green parks spaces.
Shoppers and residents have already noticed the difference between the two sides of the road.
Jack Allis, 24, from Clapham said: “It makes people realise how quickly mess creates when you drop it on the floor.”
It is a criminal offence for litter to be dropped and it carries a £70 fixed penalty notice, or if found guilty a £2,500 fine.
A spokesperson from Keep Britain Tidy said: “Litter makes places look unloved and it costs nothing to do the right thing so just put rubbish in the bin.”
So next time you are out and about with rubbish, do the decent thing and bin it or take it home with you.
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