Renewed push on importance of recycling needed- Norfolk activist
It's as research from the AA shows that more drivers believe the country's road are becoming cluttered with litter
A local environmentalist tells us a renewed push is needed to educate people on the importance of recycling.
A survey's found that littering on UK roads is getting worse- with over half of drivers (55%) noticing more rubbish than before.
That is compared with 52% who said the same thing in a survey conducted in May last year.
"We need to reconnect people to their local environment"
Gary Champion is from the Green Party and sits on Norwich City Council:
"Drive-through rubbish is a particular bugbear of mine, there's nothing worse than walking through a beauty spot and discovering some wraps and cans.
"It does feel like you've got a disconnect and I think we need to reconnect people to their local environment and community.
"If we go back twenty or thirty years, children were taught about the importance of 'reducing, reusing and recycling. However, for a lot of people it now feels like if they do the recycling that it's all good".
The AA recommended local authorities should be given greater funding to support enforcement of vehicle occupants who drop litter, and clean-up operations.
It also called for investment in roadside infrastructure such as larger and more prominent bins at lay-bys and service stations, to make it easier for drivers to dispose of waste properly.
Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, described the figures as "a wake-up call" and declared it is "time to resolve the litter problem once and for all".
"We need to treat this as a national emergency"
John Read, founder of the Clean Up Britain campaign, said: "The data confirms what many of us see every day - litter is getting worse, and it's damaging our environment and our communities.
"We need to treat this as a national emergency.
"That means tougher enforcement, better education and a cultural shift in how we view littering."
What have ministers said on this?
The Government says it's put together a circular economy taskforce to reduce waste and littering.