When I daydream about litter recording technology (yes, this is something I do on a regular basis!), one option I would love to have is to check whether certain products have been included in a sale lately. Because that’s the only reason I can think of to explain why so many Carlings were uncovered during one litter pick and found in much smaller quantities during the remainder of the year. It underscores the wider point of this whole Litter Counts exercise: companies need to be aware of the wider implications of their actions, whether that is encouraging binge buying and discarding through discounts, or failing to address the connection between their customers and the nation’s litter problem.
Looking ahead to this week, in honour of the incredible work of City to Sea and our own Refill Chippenham, please keep an eye out for Buxton water bottles. Buxton is just one of the 78 types of water bottle we’ve found in Chippenham, but with the recent news that a national Refill campaign is going to be rolled out over the next several years, perhaps we’ll see a drop in those figures.
