An anti-littering campaign by Edinburgh Live achieved cross-party support on a visit to the Scottish Parliament today.
Scottish politicians including Lothians MSP Neil Findlay took part in a day of action which saw an anti-littering ad van visit Holyrood before heading to litter hotspots around the city where Edinburgh Live staff helped volunteer groups clean up a litter 'grot spot' as well as speaking to SOS Leith about problems with rubbish accumulating at the Shore.
Scottish Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst, who represents the Lothians, also joined the Don't Trash Our Future campaign day alongside Rebecca Bell, environment spokesperson for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
An SNP MSP also took part before Edinburgh Live headed out with the ad van to Wardie Bay beach to do a litter pick.
The campaign, run by In Your Area in conjunction with Clean Up Britain, has received support from the UK in its call to end the scourge of littering on local communities.
Commenting on Edinburgh Live joining forces with Clean Up Britain to raise awareness of littering, Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack said, “It’s great to see this joint initiative from Clean Up Britain and Edinburgh Live.
“The quality of our environment is something that has kept communities going throughout the pandemic. More people than ever have had the opportunity to enjoy time outdoors in our beautiful cities and countryside, and have realised the value of clean air and clean streets.
“Every one of us has a role to play in protecting our environment. Tackling littering is a good way to start and it’s great to see the impact of local volunteers in making this happen.”
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Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson and Edinburgh Northern and Leith candidate for the Scottish Parliament, Rebecca Bell said:
“I whole-heartedly support this campaign. It’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the task of reducing pollution and treating our environment more kindly but each of us has a role to play in stopping the climate crisis in its tracks.
"Here in Edinburgh we are lucky to enjoy a great deal of attractive coastline on our doorstep. A lot of it is in fantastic condition, but sadly some folk think it’s ok to leave their litter behind.
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"We can prevent more damage to our beautiful coastline and turn the tide on the excess of litter we’ve sadly seen as a result of lockdown if we all play our part.”
You can find out more about the campaign here.
