At a Council meeting on Thursday 22 October, members approved a motion to boost litter prevention through education, acknowledging that enforcement and clean-up alone are insufficient. The council will review its current anti-litter measures, including signage, awareness campaigns, and enforcement activities, to identify areas for improvement.
The council plans to explore new partnerships with organisations such as Oxfordshire County Council, town and parish councils, schools, businesses, environmental groups, and community organisations to prevent littering proactively. Additionally, the council will contact the government and local MPs to push for renewed national action on litter prevention and public responsibility, advocating for stronger nationwide campaigns to challenge attitudes and reinforce the message that keeping public spaces clean is a shared duty.
“"Our residents care deeply about South Oxfordshire’s towns, villages and countryside, and they rightly expect these places to be clean and well looked after. We’ve already made significant investment in keeping our district clean through our street cleansing services, support for community litter-picking groups and campaigns such as Clean Spaces. Better Places. But the reality is that we cannot simply clean our way out of the litter problem. By combining local action with stronger national campaigns, we have a much better chance of creating lasting change and keeping our communities cleaner for everyone."
Cllr Ed Sadler, ward member for Chinnor and proposer of the motion, commented: “While most people dispose of their waste responsibly, a small minority continue to have a disproportionate impact on our local communities, public spaces and the countryside. I’m therefore pleased that councillors have backed my call for a greater focus on changing people’s behaviour through prevention, education and campaigns. However, this is a national problem, so we need government and MPs to support greater action, including a renewed national conversation about personal responsibility and respect for public spaces.”
This motion builds on the council's existing initiatives, such as the 'Clean Spaces. Better Places.' campaign. The council also supports community volunteers with equipment and advice for litter collection throughout the year.
