As we step up the picnic season, spare an extra thought for that piece of plastic and where you’re about to put it!
A whopping 34,000 pieces of litter weighing 1,200kg (the equivalent weight of a giraffe!) was estimated to have been removed from Dorset’s streets, green spaces and beaches as part of the recent Litter Free Dorset Challenge. Over 70 per cent of the litter comprised plastic, which is consistent with data collected from the joint Preventing Plastic Pollution project. The most common type of litter identified were cigarette butts and plastic wrappers used for sweets, crisps and snacks. Making up the top five culprits were drinks cans and bottles plus unidentifiable plastic pieces, highlighting the issue that plastics break down into smaller fragments when exposed to the elements.
Nearly 200 Dorset residents recently turned up and took on the Litter Free Dorset Challenge, a joint project run by Litter Free Dorset and the Preventing Plastic Pollution project. Participants were invited to pick a challenge of their choosing to take on over the month and could also fund raise for Litter Free Dorset to contribute towards enabling the challenge to run again in 2023.

“A big thank you to everyone who grabbed a litter picker and got involved with this year’s Litter Free Dorset Challenge,” said Sophie Colley, Litter Free Dorset’s coordinator. “It’s been fantastic to see everyone’s updates in the LFD Challenge Facebook group and the community support given for everyone involved. We hope the participants have all been inspired to continue their litter picking activities into the future. A big shout out to one young litter picker who fundraised £105 towards the next LFD Challenge as part of their challenge.”
Challengers were also invited to record litter-related data on behalf of the Preventing Plastic Pollution project to help inform solutions to tackle plastic pollution long term. “We were thrilled to see so much enthusiasm from the younger generation,” added Amanda Arnold, Preventing Plastic Pollution Researcher. “Over half of all participants were under-16, or parents with their children. Extra special thanks to the litter hero that recorded litter surveys for all 31 days of May.”
This Litter Free Dorset Challenge initiative is supported by Queen Mary University of London and co-financed by the Interreg France (Channel) England programme through the Preventing Plastic Pollution project.
For more information about the Litter Free Dorset Challenge, contact: litterfreedorset@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.