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The hard-hitting truth from the charity’s latest public perception survey, conducted by the Diffley Partnership, was revealed at an annual networking seminar held this week, with 73 per cent of people agreeing litter makes spaces unsafe for children and 67 per cent agreeing litter makes them embarrassed of their neighbourhood. Around nine in ten people – some 88 per cent – in Scotland view litter as a problem across the country. The charity has also published findings from the only long-term litter data set in Scotland which shows that less than 30 per cent of sites visited by surveyors were completely free of litter polluting them and worryingly one in 12 were significantly littered. Once again both public polling and technical data highlight that Scotland’s least affluent communities and people in urban areas are impacted more by litter and poor local environmental quality. Barry Fisher, KSB chief executive, said: “Litter continues to be a dirty topic. Our data provides clear and unambiguous evidence that people in Scotland believe litter makes them feel embarrassed and unsafe, damages the reputation of local areas and leads to other anti-social behaviours, in addition to damaging nature and our environment. “While it is concerning that people feel litter is more common this year than last, our research continues to show strong support for preventative measures to tackle this issue. "It demonstrates the public desire for us to call for greater, more urgent funding and action to tackle Scotland’s litter emergency as we approach the 2026 Scottish election and our flagship mass litter pick Spring Clean. “We claim to be a proud nation. The way we treat our country suggests otherwise. We must prioritise the prevention and eradication of litter, and we will continue to urge national and local government and industry to work with us to create a future where litter-free spaces are the norm, rather than the exception.” Visit the KSB website for more information. Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at https://www.yourworld.net/submit/ It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers
