Mobile litter bugs - 4.6 million brits admit to littering from vehicles

• More than half (55 per cent) of people say they’ve seen someone drop litter from a vehicle in the last year
• Fixed Penalty Notices (FNPs) for littering are up over a third (38 per cent) since 2021
• Around three quarters (73 per cent) of people support the introduction of ‘littercams’
• London is a hot spot for litter bugs with over one in five people (22 per cent) admitting to throwing litter from vehicles

New research¹ from Green Flag reveals that 4.6 million people admit to being a mobile litter bug, having dropped litter from a vehicle in the past year. Littering is not only an eyesore and damaging to the environment, but debris on the roads can cause a danger to road users and wildlife.    

A Freedom of Information request² to local authorities shows that councils are cracking down on litterers. Littering Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) handed out by councils increased by 38 per cent between 2021 and 2023 (91,954 – 126,493 respectively), and councils also boosted the revenue they generated from littering fines by 34 per cent (2021: £5,627,430 v 2023: £7,532,528).

More than half (55 per cent) of Brits say they’ve seen someone drop litter from a vehicle in the last year suggesting that the true scale of the issue may be far bigger, with many people likely embarrassed to admit that they have thrown rubbish out of their vehicle.

When it comes to throwing litter from a vehicle, Londoners are the biggest culprits with more than one in five (22 per cent) admitting to doing so, more than double the amount of those in any other UK city. Residents of Leeds and Glasgow were the least likely to confess to dropping litter from vehicles with no one in each city admitting to doing so.  

Table one: roadside littering by city in 2023 / 2024 

Source: Green Flag 2024

Cigarette butts (46 per cent), fast food wrappers (34 per cent) and drink cans (21 per cent) are the most common items people see being thrown from vehicles, with fruit skin or cores also frequently discarded (12 per cent). While eight per cent of Brits think there is no harm in littering items if they decompose, councils can still issue a fine regardless of whether it decomposes or not. Fines vary across the UK from £75 to £150³.

While two-thirds of Brits (62 per cent) are aware that they can face a fine for dropping litter from a vehicle, 12 per cent think the fines are too low to worry about being caught. People would, however, be deterred from littering from a vehicle if CCTV was used to monitor and automatically issue fines (46 per cent), if points were added to licences if caught (40 per cent), if they had previously been issued a fine (37 per cent) or if they knew someone who had been issued a fine (36 per cent).

Of the 187 councils who responded to Green Flag's Freedom of Information request, 25 said no FPNs had been issued for littering in any form in 2023. By contrast Manchester City Council issued the most FPNs for littering (13,165 last year).

Table two: councils issuing the highest number of FPNs for littering in 2023 

Source: Green Flag 2024

Nine of the 187 councils who responded to the FOI, have trialled “littercams” which three quarters (73 per cent) of Brits support. These include North Lanarkshire Council, Bradford District Council and Lewisham Council. support. The use of these 'littercams’ by councils saw a 346 per cent increase in FPNs issued for littering between 2021 and 2023 (496 – 2,618 respectively) and an 813 per cent increase in revenue generated (£14,736 - £134,588 respectively).    

Katie Lomas, Managing Director of Green Flag, commented: “It’s important to understand that littering on the roads can cause accidents, damage to vehicles, pollute the environment and waterways, and endanger wildlife. Our research shows that councils are increasingly taking a stand against littering, with several successfully trialling ‘littercam’ technology to catch those responsible. ‘Littercams’ have widespread support from the general public and their adoption will hopefully play a major role in deterring and combatting littering.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Unni Henry

PR Manager

Email: unni.henry@directlinegroup.co.uk

Fleishman Hillard

Email: DirectLineGroupMedia@Fleishman.com or 07808 727280

Notes to editors:

1.      Opinium survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted between 9^th – 12^th April 2024

2.      Freedom of Information request issued to UK councils in March 2024

3.      https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-enforcement-litter-flytipping-offences-final-report/pages/8/, Guidance on the use of Fixed Penalty Notices for Environmental Offences (gov.wales), https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-steps-to-tackle-littering-announced#:~:text=These%20new%20fines%20will%20make,was%20discarded%20by%20somebody%20else, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1994/1896/article/6

About Green Flag:

With over 50 years' experience, Green Flag provides customers with breakdown cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Customers have access to a network of breakdown operators across the UK and mainland Europe (Euro Plus cover required).  

Green Flag is underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.  

Green Flag and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.   

Customers can find out more about Green Flag products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 1557, connecting via the Green Flag Rescue Me Application, or visiting www.greenflag.com