16 April 2008: Bill Bryson says – "STOP THE DROP"

The President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), author Bill Bryson, today launches Stop the Drop, the charity’s major campaign against the growing blight of litter and fly-tipping in England’s countryside.

Stop the Drop will highlight the impact litter and fly-tipping has across England, and give people the campaigning tools to demand action. The charity is also lobbying for a new bottle deposit law.

‘Litter is becoming the default condition of the countryside,’ said Bryson ‘It is time that we – all of us – did something about this. The landscape is too lovely to trash. That is why CPRE is launching Stop the Drop, to make the countryside what it was almost everywhere until very recently, and what most of us still want it to be – a place of cherished beauty and sometimes utter perfection.’

Further Information

• For more information about CPRE’s Stop the Drop campaign see: http://www.cpre.org.uk

 

March 2008: Oxclean Spring Clean

CPRE Oxford City District Branch took part in Oxclean Spring Clean 2008, an Oxford Civic Society initiative in partnership with Oxford City Council. It was the first volunteer effort of its kind, offering everyone a chance to take part in a city-wide clean-up. Over 100 groups, and more than 1,500 people volunteered to clean up streets and open spaces across Oxford.

Tony Joyce, chairman of Oxford Civic Society, said ‘the quantity of litter on our streets and in our parks has more than doubled over the past ten years. From a practical point of view, we want to draw attention to the problem and its causes, start changing behaviour and improve provision of disposal units’. Oxford Times: http://tinyurl.com/ywggms).

On March 15 and 16, CPRE Oxford City District Branch partnered with the Friends of Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park to clean up Cutteslowe Park.

Further Information

• For more information about Oxford Civic Society see: www.oxfordcivicsoc.org.uk

 

March 2008: The results for the sixth annual Local Environmental Quality Survey of England show that South-East one of ‘cleanest regions in England’

The battle against litter must pick-up as the results for the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (LEQSE) 06/07 show that England “could do better”. Carried out by ENCAMS on behalf of Defra, the LEQSE is the biggest survey of its kind; looking at 19,000 sites in a representative sample of local authorities across all nine regions of England to find out what is plaguing the country the most, filth-wise.

The good news is that litter is not getting any worse than it was four years ago when the survey first started. The bad news is that although the results over the last few years have been constant - they’ve been constantly ‘unsatisfactory’. Smokers’ litter remains the most common litter item found on our streets, but levels have remained constant. Staining of our pavements has got worse. Plastic bags have also seen an increase over the last few years. The survey also shows that drinks-related litter is getting worse and has been steadily increasing over the last three years.

The survey revealed that ‘the South-East and South-West are the joint cleanest regions in England.’ Moreover, the South-East was the highest performing region as it is the only region that did not dip below National Benchmarks across any of the 32 environmental elements. ‘This region is significantly above National Benchmarks in the elements of Staining, Litter at Bus Stops, Staining at Bus Stops, Graffiti at Bus Stops and Litter on Landscaping’ reads the Survey.

CPRE Oxfordshire welcomed the results of the survey but warned that it should not lead to complacency in the South-East.

Further Information

• To read the full report click here: http://www.encams.org/uploads/publications/LEQSE_Year_6_Report.pdf
• For more information on fly-tipping see: http://www.cpreoxon.org.uk/campaigns/sustainability/waste/fly_tipping.htm

 

January 2008: Cherwell Anti-Litter Campaign

Cherwell District Council’s Cleaner Greener campaign was stepped up in the New Year as two new team members take to the streets. They will build on the work already done in a series of Neighbourhood Blitzes across the district, focusing on environmental issues like litter, abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping, and working with the district’s street wardens. They will talk to residents and businesses, and work with local schools.

Education and raising awareness will be a big part of their role, but they will also issue fixed penalty notices and gather evidence for court prosecutions if individuals or organisations ignore warnings about litter and other environmental issues.

Cherwell District Council is among the country’s top recyclers.

Further Information

• For more information about the campaign call: 01295 221940 or click here to email.