The Tidy Britain APPG has been relaunched and Jim Fitzpatrick MP, who speaks for the BCC in Parliament, has been appointed the group’s Chairman.
The APPG’s first meeting discussed the blight of cigarette litter, and BCC member Keep Britain Tidy unveiled their latest initiative to combat the problem.
The innovative new approach creates a designated area for smokers in which they can smoke and dispose of their cigarette butts correctly.
It was trialled by KBT’s Centre for Social Innovation on the concourse outside London’s Euston station and led to an 89% reduction in the number of smokers observed throwing their butts on the ground.
The project was developed as part of a programme that looks for practical solutions that can be used to cut the amount of litter that blights our country.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “We are delighted that our smoking zones have been effective in tackling a problem that affects everywhere in this country.
“The expert messaging and nudge techniques developed by Keep Britain Tidy, alongside the suitable very visible provision, have the potential to be highly effective in reducing the problem at smoking hotspots.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s chair, Jim Fitzpatrick MP, said: “Cigarette litter is a very serious, not to mention expensive, problem in Britain which urgently needs to be tackled. According to research by Keep Britain Tidy, many smokers are not even aware their cigarette butts are considered litter and are costing local councils millions every year to clean up.
“This needs to change, and we hope to achieve this with the inauguration of the APPG and will also work to bring other concerns around keeping Britain tidy to the forefront.”