Producers need to recognise their role in Northern Ireland’s litter problem

It focuses on the litter found on-street in towns and cities across Northern Ireland but perhaps more importantly, the branded litter found most frequently.

The report, which is carried out with the support of DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), is now the most comprehensive and detailed look at litter we have.

It allows us to now look more closely at the role producers play in litter’s life cycle.

Our report tells us that just 25 local producers are responsible for manufacturing 77% of the branded litter found on our streets, largely food, drink and tobacco producers. Of these, it’s the top seven producers that are responsible for manufacturing 52% of branded litter.

Drinks packaging accounted for over half of all branded litter, with output from Coca-Cola, Boost Drinks and Lucozade Ribena Suntory most common.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most branded items is the plastic bottle with 100,000 branded plastic bottles estimated to be on our streets at any one time but the takeaway cup is a common sight too with 30,000 single-use branded cups recorded.

Although tobacco producers JTI UK and Imperial Brand PLC are featured in the Top 25 brands named, they would actually compete with drinks producers for the top spots on the leader board if cigarette butts were branded.

With around 1.3 million pieces of rubbish on our streets at any one time, these figures present an interesting picture. Producers are continuing to ignore the frequency at which their brands appear on our streets — and the impact that has on our environment.

We understand that it is the consumer who litters but placing blame on these litter louts isn’t the answer to our escalating litter problem, and our stance as an organisation is shared by DAERA.

We suggest the financial impact of litter should be shared by all involved. The litter cycle begins when packaging is manufactured but it is the ratepayer who covers the entire cost of street cleaning, a bill of £29 million in 2019.

Greenwashing by producers is no longer acceptable as our litter figures rise and rise.

Our report suggests that around 45% of the NI public openly admit to littering, so we need to come together and find a long-term strategy to tackle the issue.

While we want to protect the ratepayer from the threat of rising cleaning costs, at the very heart of this is the world around us.

Litter may look horrible, but more importantly, it is highly dangerous.

Some evidence of the harmful consequences of plastic pollution on Northern Ireland’s ecosystems include fledglings getting entangled by plastic in urban nests and animal ingestion is well-documented too, particularly across our oceans with 80% of marine pollution coming from terrestrial sources.

Whilst progress has halted due to the pandemic, Parliament is expected to pass vital legislation later this year through its new Environment Bill. This will place an increased responsibility on producers to address their role in littering. We expect Stormont will consent to the changes here in Northern Ireland.

We don’t want producers to wait until this happens. We are urging them to take greater accountability now.

At KNIB, we are eager to support producers, so we welcome dialogue with local brands as soon as possible. Our calls for action include greater litter legislation, funding for behavioural change and the introduction of a deposit return scheme.

Regarding future legislation that is introduced, it is vital that money raised in Northern Ireland returns to NI to support the local economy.

I urge producers to connect with us and become more informed by reading our report.

• Dr Ian Humphreys is CEO of Keep NI Beautiful

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor