05 Mar A new campaign combatting litter is about to hit Southend’s streets
Those who saw Blue Planet 2 cannot fail to have been moved by the programme’s unflinching look at how discarded plastic is affecting our seas, with Sir David Attenborough offering a stark warning if we do not do more to protect the environment.
As a seaside town, Southend-on-Sea understands this as well as any other coastal community, especially as it is also a hugely popular tourist destination. With the seasonal visitors unfortunately, but inevitably, comes litter. From plastic bottles to discarded fast food cartons, cigarette butts to chewing gum, Southend’s pavements and beaches see a lot of rubbish being casually discarded, rather than placed in the appropriate bins.
So, inspired by Sir David’s powerful rallying call and the day-to-day issue of managing litter around the High Street and seafront, Southend BID has launched a new campaign asking for local residents and visitors to dispose of their rubbish correctly.
Back in January, the BID successfully introduced a number of attention-grabbing bins. Some ‘thanked’ considerate people for popping their trash into them by making an amusing noise, such as a satisfied burp. So-called ‘Ballot Bins’ invited smokers to use their cigarette butts to vote on a topical subject and gum chewers could put their unwanted chuddy in a bright pink Gumdrop bin.
Timed to coincide with the Easter holiday, the BID’s fresh anti-litter campaign will focus around the theme #neatstreets. The business organisation representing more than 350 firms in and around Southend’s High Street and seafront has commissioned a series of posters, featuring local people holding up signs bearing the messages #My street is your street, #My beach is your beach and #My seafront is your seafront.
