Food On The Go
About the campaign
Keep Scotland Tidy's "Food on the go" litter campaign is an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of food and drink-related litter found on Scotland's streets. Keep Scotland Tidy works in partnership with local authorities, duty bodies, fast food businesses and outlets throughout Scotland to help tackle the problems associated specifically with this most visible form of litter. Materials, support and training are also available to Keep Scotland Tidy's partners, to help them campaign effectively in their own area.
The effects of "Food on the go" litter
Food on the go litter can be bad for business and tourism, dangerous to children and animals, attract rodents and encourage further anti-social behaviour. 72% of areas surveyed in Scotland in 2008-09* showed signs of litter dropped by pedestrians and individuals – with just over a half (53%) featuring litter related to food on the go.
* Keep Scotland Tidy carries out annual Local Environmental Audit & Management System (LEAMS) validation surveys of 2% of all local authority areas providing external, independent evaluation of cleanliness standards throughout Scotland.
Campaign message & materials
The message of the campaign, aimed at food on the go customers, is not to drop their left-overs or packaging on the ground, but to put litter in a bin. KST's "Fixed Penalty Notice Series" of materials includes a warning reminder that a fine of £50 can be served for dropping litter, while the "Bin Series" encourages positive action in a more light-hearted way.
Keep Scotland Tidy also has three giant litter costumes (a crisp packet, soft drinks cup and poke of chips), which have been well-used at awareness-raising events throughout the country, including by various partner organisations.
Campaign background
To attract public and press attention the "Food on the go" litter campaign was launched (April 2007) with the help of Keep Scotland Tidy's newly commissioned litter mascots. They, and a team of Litter Scene Investigators, recreated a scene of crime in the middle of a busy, pedestrianised shopping street in Glasgow.
Alongside the launch, Keep Scotland Tidy invested in outdoor advertising in towns and cities throughout Scotland, and fast food outlets throughout the country were invited to display posters on their premises to target customers at the point of sale. Scotland's press and media were notified about these actions and MacAulay & Co from Radio Scotland, whose roving reporters went head-to-head in a litter picking race on air, attended the launch.
Since then, Keep Scotland Tidy has been working with national fast food businesses on an ongoing basis to promote the anti-litter message, eg by coordinating corporate litter picks for staff, hosting local awareness-raising events, or securing sponsorship to facilitate national campaign efforts. And in 2009, the picnicking public was reminded again to put their food and drink-related litter in a bin through Keep Scotland Tidy's awareness-raising event at Luss in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, in partnership with the park authority and local council.