Litter is blighting the UK’s footpaths, with an average 41 pieces found a kilometre, according to a major study. Particularly frequently found brands included Lucozade, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Monster and Walkers.
The State of Our Trails report, conducted by Trash Free Trails, is the first UK study that aims to establish a scientific understanding of the environmental consequences of the tonnes of litter in our landscapes. It drew together more than 1,600 submissions by 4,500 volunteers and with the data the authors have estimated as many as 9.1m individual pieces of litter could be found across the UK’s 220,000km of public rights of way. The surveys took place between July 2020 and August 2023.
Lucozade was the most frequently found brand of litter, according to the report. The authors said they thought this might be “because of its identity as a ‘sports energy drink’. Many recreational trail users will view their activity as a ‘sport’, requiring challenge and exertion, and therefore additional energy. This may be particularly prevalent among those who are relatively new and/or novice trail users, and/or beginners in the activities that they are participating in.”
After Lucozade, the most commonly found brands were Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Monster, Cadbury and Walkers.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Litter is blighting the UK’s footpaths, with an average 41 pieces found a kilometre, according to a major study.
It drew together more than 1,600 submissions by 4,500 volunteers and with the data the authors have estimated as many as 9.1m individual pieces of litter could be found across the UK’s 220,000km of public rights of way.
Many recreational trail users will view their activity as a ‘sport’, requiring challenge and exertion, and therefore additional energy.
After Lucozade, the most commonly found brands were Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Monster, Cadbury and Walkers.
The report authors say the word “pollution” should be used rather than “litter” because “there is clear and growing evidence that this human-made detritus is harmful to the health of the ecosystems that it escapes into.
They add that people litter partly because they feel disconnected from the landscape, so “we believe that outdoor education can no longer be an optional frill alongside the mainstream curriculum.
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