Government

Zero Waste Scotland launches £100,000 litter fund

Zero Waste Scotland, the body responsible for delivering the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan, has today (15 August) opened a £100,000 fund to help local communities tackle litter and flytipping.

The Litter and Flytipping Community Action Fund, part of the Scottish Government’s litter strategy, Towards a Litter-Free Scotland, is open to community groups wishing to receive grants of between £500 and £10,000 to counter and reduce littering and flytipping.

Launched to ‘support community-led activity to tackle litter and flytipping on the ground, promote increased community ownership of the issues, and raise awareness and stimulate long term public behavioural change’, the fund could be used for clean up and prevention schemes and behaviour change campaigns, amongst other measures.

Applications can be submitted until 5pm on Friday, 19 September 2014.

'Taking forward practical plans for prevention and clean-up'

Speaking of the fund, Iain Gulland, Director of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The negative impacts suffered by communities affected by littering and flytipping are huge. With over £1 million a week being spent in Scotland to tackle the problem, the new Community Action Fund will support community groups who are ready to take forward action to help prevent litter and flytipping in Scotland.

“I would urge any community group with a plan or an idea which meets the criteria to get in touch and make an application.”

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead added: “The Scottish Government is determined to tackle the problem of litter and flytipping that blights many of our communities. Local community groups make great contributions to these efforts, and have clear ideas about how to take responsibility for addressing problems on their doorsteps.

“This fund will support them in taking forward practical plans for prevention and clean-up and I would encourage community groups to get involved.”

The Community Action Fund is the latest anti-litter work the Scottish Government has undertaken, after it launched a new anti-littering campaign ‘Dirty Little Secret’ to highlight the ‘shame and embarrassment’ of being caught dropping rubbish.

Read more about theLitter and Flytipping Community Action Fund.