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Please click the link below to find out more.

More resources than ever are being devoted to maintaining a clean and welcoming environment in Northern Ireland, according to the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

In a report published today, the environmental charity said that the last year had seen major milestones in the campaign against litter, with record numbers of school children receiving anti-litter education; record numbers of fixed penalties being issued for littering, and a record spend on street cleansing.

Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan MLA said, “I welcome the findings of this report and commend Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful for the valuable work they undertake to raise awareness of local environmental quality issues, whether that is by educating our children through the Eco-Schools programme, promoting a cleaner environment through the Live Here, Love Here campaign, or the other initiatives in which they are involved. The improvements highlighted in the report are encouraging and show the value of a multi-faceted approach. We do though have some way to go to eradicate the blight of litter and dog fouling in our towns and countryside and on our beaches. However, this report does show that central and local government, working in partnership with organisations such as KNIB, can make an impact. I am proud to have supported KNIB’s activities over a number of years and look forward to government continuing that partnership.”

This intensification of efforts by Councils was welcomed by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful CEO, Dr Ian Humphreys, who said “£40 million a year on street cleansing is an enormous cost but actually many hidden costs make the final bill far greater. For example, studies have shown that high levels of litter correlate with increased rates of depression and other mental health problems. The result is an estimated £15 million drained from already stretched NHS finances.”

During the academic year ending in June 2015 Northern Ireland became the first country in the world to have every school in the country registered with the Eco-schools programme, which has anti-littering and respect for the environment at its core.

A record number of Fixed Penalties Notices were issued for littering and dog fouling during 2014-15, the most recent period for which figures are available. However, the official figures highlight the postcode lottery for fixed penalties, with 49% being issued in Belfast, and a further 18% in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District.

Dr Humphreys continued “This shows how councils are prepared to take action against the minority of people who continue to go against what is normal and acceptable. These figures show people who litter that they are ever more likely to be caught and fined.

The charity also calls on other Statutory Undertakers such as the DRD Roads Service and Rivers Agency to match the efforts made by Councils, with litter on roadside verges and in streams frequently putting off tourists and businesses and hurting our economy. Dr Humphreys said “Councils are not the only organisations with litter cleansing responsibilities, but they are the only ones working hard to fulfil them. In April every year we hold a Big Spring Clean, with around 90,000 volunteers taking part in 2015. A large number of those people are cleaning up roadside verges, open spaces and the banks of streams because it isn’t being done by the organisations responsible for them.”

All of this effort taken together has led to an improvement in the litter levels around the country. The headline figure – the percentage of places surveyed which are deemed ‘unacceptable’ – fell from 17% in 2014 to 12% in 2015, following three years of worsening results.

Dr Humphreys concluded “Coming as it does when people are beginning to think about spending more time outdoors on warmer days and brighter evenings, this report is positive news, but it’s also a call to action for everybody to play their part and show they live here and love here.”

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful are calling for community groups, schools, businesses and individuals across Northern Ireland to show that they Live Here and they Love Here by getting involved in the Big Spring Clean.

Litter can blight our towns, villages, beaches, roadsides and countryside and make us feel a little less than proud of our beautiful surrounds. In April Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful will call for everybody to say, ‘Live Here Love Here’ and will be working in partnership with local councils, Department for the Environment and Tourism Northern Ireland to support clean ups throughout Northern Ireland.

Big Spring Clean now forms part of the wider Live Here Love Here campaign which educates and empowers communities to take action and do the right thing to tackle litter and create a sense of community pride throughout the province.

People power is an amazing thing – during last year’s Big Spring Clean over 89,506 people participated in cleaning up their local area and removing over 107 tonnes of litter ensuring that we Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said “Litter is a blot on our landscape that threatens the clean, green credentials for which the Emerald Isle is known. This is our home and we should take pride in it. I am calling for as many volunteers as possible to join the Big Spring Clean – let’s work together to make it a clean sweep and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.”

Ian Humphreys, CEO of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful added, “Last year one in every 20 people in Northern Ireland took part in a clean-up during The BIG Spring Clean. That’s up from just 2,500 individuals back in 2010. Why? Because we all want a better place to live, and this is a great opportunity to do something positive about it. Join us and help reduce the £40,000,000 a year street cleaning bill for ratepayers.”

Throughout April we are calling for your support once again, to find out more information and to register your Big Spring Clean online please visit www.liveherelovehere.org and we will send you a FREE clean up kit to help with your event.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Nicola Murray, Community Development Officer on 028 9073 6920

Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive on 028 9073 6925

Carmel Fyfe, Operations Manager on 02890736920

Note to Editors

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful is an environmental charity working towards the vision of a beautiful Northern Ireland by inspiring people to take responsibility for creating cleaner, greener and more sustainable communities.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful runs a number of awareness raising campaigns including Live Here Love Here, BIG Spring Clean, Clean Coast and Adopt A Spot. The charity also runs the Green Flag Award for parks and open spaces, Seaside and Green Coast Awards, the international Blue Flag (for beaches and marinas) and Eco-Schools all of which set environmental quality standards.

Live Here Love Here is a national campaign aimed at promoting civic pride and a community can-do attitude by improving environmental quality in Northern Ireland. By tackling issues such as poor environmental quality, littering and dilapidation, by encouraging volunteers to take practical action in their local communities. By working together, we can start to tackle the negative impact of littering, dog fouling and other environmental behaviours to bring about positive change to our communities. Live Here Love Here is an inspiring partnership between the Department of the Environment, Tourism Northern Ireland and a number of local authorities, working alongside Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

Street cleansing costs ratepayers close to £40 million every year and of the minority of people who admit to littering fewer still receive fines.

To learn more please visit; www.liveherelovehere.org .

Live Here Love Here is a partnership between Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Department of the Environment, Tourism Northern Ireland and participating local Councils:

o Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

o Ards and North Down Borough Council

o Belfast City Council

o Derry City and Strabane District Council

o Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

o Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

o Newry, Mourne and Down District Council