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Keep Britain Tidy invites schools to take part in the 2026 Great Big School Clean to tackle litter
Almost half of UK parents and guardians (50%) admit littering in the last 12 months.
A YouGov survey on behalf of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which runs the Eco-Schools and Eco-Schools for Early Years programmes, shows astonishing littering behaviour, with more than a quarter of parents or guardians (28%) admitting dropping unwanted food items such as fruit peels, sandwich crusts and ice cream cones ‘because it will biodegrade’.
Nearly one in 10 (nine per cent) admitted they left finished items or packaging behind after sitting down to eat or drink while one in 20 (five per cent) left rubbish at a train or bus stop.
It comes ahead of the charity’s Great Big School Clean (March 13th to 29th) – part of the Great British Spring Clean campaign which has empowered Litter Heroes across the nation to pledge to pick more than 4.5 million bags of harmful rubbish from streets, parks and beaches since it began in 2016.
More than 265,000 school children pledged to protect our environment during last year’s campaign.
Yet one in 20 parents or guardians (five per cent) admitted in the last year they have left or dropped rubbish because it was too dirty, smelly or messy to take with them, while the same number left rubbish in a hedge, bush or tree and (five per cent) admitted throwing or dropping litter from a vehicle window.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Litter is litter and always bad news for the environment. It doesn’t matter if you leave a cup on a wall or hide it in a bush, it’s still litter and it’s still pollution.
“Heroic volunteers who take part in our Great British Spring Clean, as well as hard working local authority staff end up cleaning up the mess.
“Littering comes with a huge cost to us all with local authorities spending a staggering £1 billion a year tackling rubbish at a time when there are other challenges this money could, and should, be spent on.
“Our message this year is help our army of volunteers and our wildlife – and show your love for where you live – by doing the right thing: putting it in a bin or taking it home.”
People can pledge to pick via the charity’s website: www.keepbritaintidy.org