Charity creates database to help cut littering

Laura Hutchings from the Recoup charity is trying to curb a nationwide wave of littering

A litter charity is creating a national litter database to find out why some areas are worse than others.

Recoup, based in Peterborough, also hopes the database will help advise packaging companies on how to cut down waste.

The initiative is part of the charity's Litter Composition and Pathways Project.

It hopes it can be spread nationwide to allow litter picking groups to input data from a variety of locations to make the database as comprehensive and inclusive as possible.

Bags of litter collected by volunteers being used as part of a nationwide litter survey

Laura Hutchings, projects and data manager, for the Litter Compositions and Pathway project, said they hope to "inform government and key stakeholders" to allow them to make decisions to make changes to legislation or packaging.

She said: "It's really interesting to see and the variety of legacy and new litter.

"It could help with information on what goes on packaging and how easy it is to dispose of."

In a previous litter pick at the start of the project, a well-preserved crisp packet from the 1990s was found in the Woodston area of Peterborough.

The charity previously said it was concerning as it showed how long litter remained in the environment.

An infra-red gun is used in the Recoup litter lab to work out what packaging is made from to see if it could be improved in the future

Steve Morgan, Head of Policy and Infrastructure at Recoup, added the database and analysis would allow them to work with big brands and packaging manufacturers about potential changes.

He said: "Globally we’ve got a big problem with waste and a big problem with litter in the UK.

"Our project will inform the government as to how they can approach making big changes to make a cultural shift to stop people littering."

Margaret Faulkner from the Peterborough Litter Wombles finds it frustrating to see people littering

The charity also works with local litter picking group Peterborough Litter Wombles. Volunteers send the group the litter they have collected from a variety of locations for analysis and inclusion in the database.

Volunteer Margaret Faulkner said she finds it "very frustrating" to see people littering.

"Peterborough needs a lot of work and we can’t keep up with it and the council can’t keep up with it, so we need to work together.

"It’s soul destroying when you come every week and see it, how do you manage it?"

Volunteers find a range of rubbish thrown away in a morning litter pick

Dick Searle, chief executive of the Packaging Federation, said: "Our industry clearly takes litter very seriously.

"The industry has moved towards making as much packaging recyclable as is possible and will continue to do so."