Gloucester volunteer litter picker says schools and shops must take action

A volunteer litter picker from Gloucester said schools need a green curriculum and supermarkets need to take more responsibility for rubbish.

Engineer Eric Torrington, 61, of Dursley, started litter picking five years ago while walking his dog.

He said: "Litter may be low on the agenda compared to what people see as bigger issues but it is intrinsically linked to the climate crisis."

Mr Torrington routinely circulates 10 laybys and bus stops picking up litter.

"It's not about ramming [the subject of] litter down people's throats, it's just trying to make people think," he explained.

"Less than 1% pick up litter, 45% drop litter and the rest do nothing about it.

"If we tackle the problem in schools, introducing a 'green curriculum', and hold businesses, particularly supermarkets and fast food outlets, to account it will go a long way to helping the problem."

He added: "With every supermarket and every school there's a litter footprint."

Mr Torrington collects around 1,000 pieces of litter each week and has collected around 12,000 aluminium cans over the past three years, which he takes to a local scrap market, donating the money he is paid to a local charity.

Talking about the problem of litter close to supermarkets he said: "The problem is they [supermarkets] don't address the issue on a company-wide basis.

"There is a concentric ring of litter that circles fast food and supermarket outlets", something which he is keen for CEO's to tackle because he believes it "starts on the doorstep of big supermarkets."

He added no-one really understands the legislation around litter and the supermarkets "don't have it in their business plan".

Mr Torrington believes litter is "overshadowed and overlooked" and "feeds into a much bigger issue and is due to ignorance and bad habits".

The campaigner has written to government ministers and Defra but feels the stance that it is a local problem needs to change.

"Litter is intrinsically linked to the climate crisis. Most of the litter I pick up is single use plastics."

He added it "cries out" for a deposit return system to be introduced nationally.

As well as campaigning to businesses, he also talks to truck drivers "when they're interested".

"I know some people wait for me to turn my back to throw litter, but some engage and I hope maybe drivers will think twice about leaving litter."

Mr Torrington said Moto motorway services were a good "benchmark" of a firm led by environmental campaigning and cleaned up their boundaries of rubbish, hosting a weekly 'litter Wednesday'.

"They are leading the way as they clean up to, and sometimes beyond, their boundaries, anywhere it's safe to go."

Keep Britain Tidy said more than two million pieces of litter were dropped in the UK every day with the cost of street cleaning costing the taxpayer more than £1bn a year.

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