Together, Litter-Free Felixstowe and Goldstar’s national campaign will aim to gain support from all key stakeholders, including hauliers and local authorities, to make a difference.

Felixstowe Takes the Lead to Reduce Roadside Littering

By Mel Saunders On Apr 9, 2021

Few people will have failed to notice the dramatic rise in the amount of litter alongside the UK’s major roads and in the numerous laybys across the country. Littering in recent years has become a national problem, with the impact on the environment and the dangers to wildlife well documented.

Solutions are not easy and the massive scale of the issue sometimes seems insurmountable. Whilst community volunteer groups like Litter-Free Felixstowe (LFF) are working hard to clear up public spaces that are easily accessible to individuals, tackling the problems on major roads is much more difficult, which is why LFF has teamed up with major haulier, Goldstar Transport to launch a campaign to raise awareness.

The aim is to unite members of the port community, other motorists and the relevant councils to make a difference. Director of Goldstar, Simon Day, immediately offered support to the initiative by incorporating an anti-litter message within the company’s training manuals and environmental policy.

Speaking of his support for the LFF campaign, he stated: “All road users have a responsibility to tackle this issue. We need to influence behaviour and Goldstar is delighted to be leading the movement for better signage and
identifying hotspots where there is a build-up of litter. We also want to listen to our drivers who see first-hand its impact on the environment. Litter also represents a significant health and safety problem to hauliers, so we need to act.”

Debbie Bartlett of Litter-Free Felixstowe commented: “We have worked so hard within Felixstowe over the past few years and our 900+ volunteers have been amazing. However, they are increasingly frustrated to see the rubbish along the major roads into the town. We all want action to prevent the damage to wildlife and we are delighted to be collaborating with Goldstar, a very influential voice within the logistics industry.”

All litter has the potential to end up in the sea and the recent rescues of seals on Felixstowe beaches has highlighted the impact of plastic waste on marine creatures. Highways England, the authority responsible for motorways and some major trunk roads, estimate that 200,000 bags of litter are collected per annum, while Keep Britain Tidy claims that it costs £850m to clear the rubbish across the country each year.

In the meantime, Litter-Free Felixstowe is continuing its free online lessons for schools. The aim is to inspire children to take action to care for the environment. Several primary schools across the country have already watched the recently produced film in which young volunteers talk. It’s available to view here: