Community champions from an Angus supermarket are leading the way in combating litter in the area.
Responding to concerns by local residents about the increase in litter around the store, Tesco Arbroath staff have teamed up with Angus College, Arbroath High School, community group Keptie Friends and Angus Council to tackle the problem.
Tesco community champion Michelle Duncan said: “We distributed a questionnaire to local residents, and a lot of the feedback we received was about the amount of litter that was being dropped in the area, especially after lunchtime.”
“Although young people seem to get the blame, the fact is that people of all ages are dropping litter.
“Someone who drops a sandwich wrapper may think nothing of it, but the cumulative impact of lots of people doing is quite substantial.
“We have got off to a great start, collecting eight bags on Monday, and 14 bags on Tuesday, and I would to thank everyone who is taking part for their time and effort.
“I would also ask people to dispose of food wrappers and other items responsibly.”
The team decided that simply picking the litter up was not a sustainable solution, and a more comprehensive approach was required.
Now, the litter picking, which is taking place all week, is part of a broader approach that includes awareness raising, information posters and reviewing where litter bins are placed in a bid to encourage people to make greater use of them.
Angus Provost, Councillor Ronnie Proctor welcomed the initiative.
He said: “This is a fantastic example of community teamwork that is improving the environment for everyone, and I would like to commend those taking part.”
A spokesman for Angus Council said: “We are working in partnership to try and address the problem of lunch-time litter and have been working with the school’s young people on some eye-catching new bin stickers
“These will be positioned on walking routes to and from school from Monday and we’ve also looked at moving bins to problem areas and adding extra bins as required.
“Enforcement work will be carried out in the area as we’ll carry out an audit to see what impact this initiative has.”
“Dropping litter is an offence in Scotland. Anyone dropping litter could receive a fixed penalty notice of £80.”
