Testing a new game approach to reduce litter in the district
5 March 2024
We are working to reduce litter in the district with a new 'game' approach on the A35.
Users of the road between Lyndhurst and Hinton may have seen two scoreboards, one at either end, displaying the area's litter score. The litter rating will be from A, good, to D, bad, with an overall percentage score on display based on how much litter is on the roadside. The higher the score, the less litter.
The project, which is running until September, aims to discourage people from throwing litter from their vehicles by taking part in the game of getting a good litter score.
Cllr Geoffrey Blunden, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said: "This game is a part of our Look Out For Our Forest (LOFOF) project which aims to work with people's natural behaviours; making doing the right thing easier.
"This idea of making doing the right thing a game is not new, but it's the first time we have tried such a proactive approach in the New Forest to reduce roadside littering. We are really looking forward to seeing positive outcomes from this engaging project.
"If we can all act together, as people who care about the New Forest, we will keep a good score and support a greener future for us all."
"The A35 was chosen for this latest project as, historically, the road has had an issue with littering from vehicles and would benefit from a change in people's behaviour. The game section is a direct route through some of the most protected areas of the Forest where damage to plants and wildlife from litter, microplastics and chemicals could have a much wider, lasting impact.
"Roads like the A35 are more dangerous for our teams to litter pick, needing traffic management to make it safe. These traffic management procedures can cause disruptions to road users, such as blocked lanes and temporary traffic lights. Litter picking roads such as the A35 is a big task for our teams, taking up to four weeks to complete. Because of this, there is often a significant build-up of litter, which damages our environment.
"Littering is a district-wide problem which NFDC responds to daily. Projects like this seek to benefit our environment, and the thousands of businesses who rely on the area being attractive, serene, and litter-free. The LOFOF campaign invites people to reflect on their behaviour, to stop this problem from escalating."
We are asking that residents do not try to improve the score by litter picking on the roadside themselves. Cllr Geoffrey Blunden adds: "People should not collect litter along the A35 as this is a busy and dangerous road. The project asks people to maintain the best score possible in the area by not littering. Our teams will safely litter-pick the stretch at the start of the game."
If the project proves a success, we may try a similar approach in other areas of the New Forest.
More information:
The litter score is assessed with DEFRA's grades of cleanliness scale, from A (good) to D (bad). This score is reached by a percentage applied to the location based on the amount of litter present, 100% is no litter, 0% is a lot of litter. The score will be updated fortnightly based on the levels of litter in the area.
There are also signs along the stretch of road which reinforce the core message 'Keep litter off the roads, out of our Forest and achieve the best litter score for the area'.
Areas of the A35 are Sites of Significant Scientific Interest (SSSI), which means installing bins and encouraging people to pull over as well as waste collection vehicles would be harmful to the unique wildlife and plant life of the area. There is also strong evidence to suggest that the placement of roadside bins actually encourages more flytipping, especially in more rural areas, which causes significant harm to the surrounding environment.
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