2 August 2011

Keep Britain Tidy and The Royal Parks joined forces over the weekend to highlight the scale of the litter problem in this country and the cost involved in removing it.

For 48 hours the north east corner of Hyde Park was not cleaned in order to see how much litter was left by visitors to the park - and the results were astounding.

Volunteers from Keep Britain Tidy and Love Where You Live partners McDonald's and Wrigleys, along with the Royal Parks cleansing contractors, arrived at Hyde Park early Monday morning to be greeted by rubbish strewn across the experiment area and piled up around the railings - cigarette butts, remains of food, empty packaging, bottles, and even used nappies!

After two hours, the team had collected 109 bin bags of rubbish, weighing over half a tonne!

Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "This experiment holds up a mirror to everyone who uses any park and does not do the right thing by putting their litter in a bin or, if there is not a bin or if the bin is full, taking it home with them.

"We know how much people value having green spaces, but it is up to us all to keep those places clean.

"We want people to show that they love where they live, work and play by making a small change to make a big difference."

The Royal Parks spends £300,000 a year removing litter from Hyde Park, with the total cost to councils in England for clearing up our litter a staggering £885million a year.