Visitors to our hometown of Brighton & Hove were given some unusual reminders to keep our beaches clean over the Bank Holiday weekend.
A giant fish made from litter, a silent disco beach clean and a trash converter van where people can trade their litter for treats were amongst the eye-catching and thought-provoking installations and activities hitting the beach as part of the #StreetsAhead campaign.
The campaign by Brighton & Hove City Council’s refuse and recycling arm CityClean, in partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, hoped to capture the public’s imagination and encourage responsible disposal of litter; to create streets to be proud of and to prevent city litter being washed away in the sea.
The campaign asked people to:
- Use the bin, not the pebbles, not the gutter, not the pavement
- If you see some litter and you’re near a bin – pick it up
- If the bin is full, find another one or take your litter home
Councillor Gill Mitchell of Brighton & Hove City Council said:
“Brighton & Hove’s residents are rightly proud of the vibrant city we live in and we’re launching the #StreetsAhead campaign to make sure our streets and beaches are also something to be proud of. We’re starting with tackling beach litter as it’s such a focal point of the city.
Tourism brings £845 million to Brighton & Hove’s economy each year and 82 per cent of tourists visit for the beach. Later in the year we’ll be running more activity around other parts of the city.”
The campaign highlighted new research that reveals 8 out of 10 residents are fed up with the amount of litter in Brighton & Hove. 97 per cent of people said that litter is ugly to look at and 93 per cent think litter ruins communities and neighbourhoods.
The work has been funded by fines paid by those who litter. Enforcement of penalties is proving popular amongst concerned residents, with 88 per cent of the people surveyed saying there should be stricter fines for those who litter.
Rebecca Dove, Managing Director of Hubbub said:
“The amount of litter entering the sea is massive, and increasing. 35 per cent of fish off the coast of Britain have plastic in their gut and 80 per cent of ocean plastic comes from land-based sources. Litter in the sea takes centuries to break down and is harmful to birds, fish and other species.
Brighton has a fantastic opportunity to lead the solution to tackle the issue of litter entering the sea along Britain’s coastline which is contributing to a pressing global issue.”
More details of planned activities and opportunities to get involved in the #StreetsAhead campaign can be found by following @RecyclingRefuse on Twitter.
