Remember Keep Britain Tidy? The pioneering environmental group has a new mission…
WORDS: CLAIRE SAUL IMAGES: KEEP BRITAIN TIDY
The roots of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (WI) are in rural life and along with many other causes, the countryside has always been important to the organisation.
Back in 1954, members began an important campaign to help to preserve it.
Changing lifestyles and levels of consumption had driven a new, throwaway culture. The post-war boom in prosperity and consumerism, twinned with the development of more disposable everyday items, had many benefits but had also resulted in a significant increase in litter.
The women wished to provide a practical solution by encouraging people to collect and responsibly dispose of discarded litter, while also helping to engender local pride in communal spaces.
The national Keep Britain Tidy campaign first appeared in 1955 and was an important factor in the development of the Litter Act, the first anti-litter legislation, in 1958.
Celebrating the platinum jubilee this year of that original campaign, Keep Britain Tidy is still on a mission to maintain litter-free, biodiverse and safe places that we can all take pride in and enjoy.
Through initiatives such as their Green Flag Award and Blue Flag accreditation programmes, the organisation improves the quality of green spaces, parks and beaches around the country, while its Environmental Care Programme is supported by a network of 4000 volunteers who work on their local rivers and beaches.
Schemes such as January’s Buy Nothing New Month tackles the issue by encouraging us to adjust our buying habits by resisting new purchases, buying preloved, or finding a new purpose for items that would otherwise be discarded.
After its launch in January 2023, almost a third of participants claimed that the campaign had reduced their purchases of new items.
The organisation’s new five-year strategy covers three broad aims: reducing resource use (and the resulting waste and litter), improving sustainable living, and improving the quality of public space.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, CEO of Keep Britain Tidy, says, “Our ‘throwaway’ culture is causing us to use the Earth’s resources at an alarming rate. We need to take action now to protect our planet for future generations.
“Our new strategy sets out a bold vision for a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable future. We b
