A new online resource to help councils tackle littering and fly-tipping has been launched.
The advice from Zero Waste Scotland comes just weeks after complaints were made about fly-tipping on Powrie Brae on the outskirts of Dundee.
Toys and household items from Dundee were found dumped in two locations on the flyover.
Zero Waste Scotland’s research has found at least 250 million items are littered every year in Scotland, while there are over 61,000 fly-tipping incidents on public land alone.
It estimates the total cost to the public purse of littering is over £50 million a year and that around 15,000 tonnes of rubbish is dropped each year – the equivalent of 50 of the Kelpies statues at Helix Park near Falkirk.
Scottish Government environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “We want to protect and preserve the beauty of Scotland for all who live and visit here.
“The Scottish Government has made prevention of litter and fly-tipping the cornerstone of Scotland’s national litter strategy, Towards a Litter-Free Scotland, and this new resource should be valuable to all stakeholders in helping tackle the problem.
“I encourage all those with a role in tackling litter to visit the Zero Waste Scotland website, and engage with the network where they can reap the benefits of the expertise and advice on offer.”
Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, added: “Our Litter Knowledge Network provides fantastic new tools to help stakeholders in Scotland take forward a preventative approach towards litter and fly-tipping.
“It includes great case studies on what works and what doesn’t – a really useful body of practical and well-tested work, backed up by evidence.
“This evidence shows that simply cleaning up litter after it’s been dropped is an endless task, as the issue still affects many of our communities and it’s costing Scotland over £1 million a week.
“Local authorities, businesses and landowners have a real opportunity now to adopt a different approach to litter, tailored to suit their own local circumstances – by focusing on preventative action which will save time and money. With the launch of our new Litter Knowledge Network, Zero Waste Scotland is there to help and support this work.
The research also revealed that half of all items littered in Scotland could have been recycled.
