More than four out of five people living in Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods say they often see rubbish in their streets and public spaces.
Campaigners have long known that the country’s most deprived communities are bearing the brunt of what they now believe to be a national litter “emergency”.
Now the latest annual survey for environmental watchdog Keep Scotland Beautiful suggests the gap between the best and worst off areas is the highest it has been since records began.
Fully 81% of those questioned in the most deprived fifth of communities said they saw litter in public spaces “very” or “somewhat” often. That compared with an also high 68% in the top quintile.
The public perception survey, carried out by pollsters Diffley and Associates, corroborates hard evidence from independent inspections carried out by KSB across Scotland.
It also reveals remarkable public consensus that dealing with litter should be a priority with nearly nine out of 10 respondents saying the issue is of “significant concern”
Barry Fisher, KSB’s chief executive, said: “Litter is still being dropped. And, the same unsustainable consumption habits and throwaway culture fuelling the twin climate and nature crises are also driving the litter emergency.
“With almost 90% of people asked believing that litter is significant issue of public concern and our technical data showing the largest gap we have ever recorded between litter levels in our most and least deprived communities, this is an issue we must invest in tackling. And now.”
The survey also found a stark contrast between the perception of litter between town and country. Overall, 67% of respondent said litter was a specific problem in their area. The survey report added: “This varies geographically, with the figure rising to 79% and 90%, respectively, in the Glasgow and Lothian parliamentary region areas. Correspondingly, people in urban areas report seeing litter more regularly, while 39% of people in rural areas report seeing litter ‘rarely’ or ‘never’, compared to 25% in urban areas.”
This data again tallies with the nationwide inspections of litter by KSB. As The Herald revealed last month, its flagship Local Environmental Audit and Management System or LEAMS study found that Edinburgh had the highest proportion of streets and public spaces which were “unacceptably” littered. Aberdeenshire had the least.
LEAMS revealed that cigarette waste was the most common litter found in streets. The perception survey suggests people are more aware of bigger rubbish, with food wrappers and waste and bottles and cans coming slightly ahead of butts.
There were nuanced differences between the public’s impressions of the problem and the objective measure of LEAMS. For example, 49% of Glasgow residents sampled thought the problem was getting worse - more than anywhere else. But on-the-ground inspections showed that the city actually bucked national trends and improved its cleanliness last year.
The biggest single public concern about litter - bigger than its effects on house prices or neighbourhood reputation - was how it hurts the environment and animals.
The Scottish Government has delayed a major new litter and flytipping strategy in to the New Year. KSB has documented a rise in messy public spaces as austerity has kicked in. Its chief executive said that action was needed - even as the public purse strings are tightened.
Mr Fisher said: “The decline in local environmental quality was first reported by us in 2016 across all parts of Scotland. Now it is damaging our communities and costing us a significant amount of money annually to address. A further delay to real action will only cost us more in the long run.
“We know that the public and key stakeholders want to see more done to reduce litter levels, and this was mirrored in the recent responses to the Scottish Government consultation on a new Litter and Flytipping Strategy for Scotland.
“While we recognise the challenging financial times we are in and welcome the positive progress made in terms of the development of the new strategy - now delayed until early 2023 - we have been clear that the strategy and supporting action plan must be properly resourced in order to be effective, have a positive impact and meet the expectations of communities and other stakeholders across Scotland.
“Despite the depressing evidence, we remain hopeful, and urge everyone to take crucial positive action. We all need to consider what we buy, throw away, and how we treat the places we live, work and visit. Only by changing our own behaviours can we keep Scotland beautiful.”
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