1. Vehicle Litter Research Jo Schultz Senior Market Research Coordinator May 2009

2. Background 2001 - ‘Have you dropped one?’

3. Background  Based on Litter Segmentation Research (2001)  Identified those most likely to litter out of vehicles  Younger, drive sporty cars, dropped litter carelessly 2003 - ‘Don’t be a tosser!’

4. Background 2009 – Vehicle littering still a problem!! ‘On 34 miles of the M1 between junction 24 and junction 30 in the East Midlands, roughly 2500 refuse bags of litter are collected each year.’ (Highways Agency website: http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/19614.aspx)

5. Background Recent media and political attention Bill Bryson and CPRE – 3 year ‘Stop the Drop’ campaign  Call for tougher penalties  Encourage local authorities to be more proactive

6. Background However… Difficulty proving identity of vehicle litterer Most prosecutions fail

8. Background LGA – voiced support for new system Registered owner of vehicle pays fine or identifies litter bug! Work like speeding fine Bryson – reasonable chance offender will be caught and punishment must be ‘meaningfully painful’

9. Methodology What did we do…..?

10. Methodology Reanalysis of previous research Speaking to vehicle litterers (members of the public and commercial drivers) Consulting local authorities Consulting the public

11. Results What did we find…?

12. Who and How Often?

13. Results Who and How Many? 14% general public (Litter Segmentation, 2006) BUT…20% (The Word on our Street, 2009) Life’s Too Short / Am I Bothered Males Smokers 18-34 year olds Low level of guilt for socially unacceptable behaviour Low level of income / education

14. Results How often?  35% vehicle littered ‘today’ Base: 535 Last time respondents dropped an item of litter out of their vehicle

15. What?

16. Results What? Percentage of respondents who have dropped … today Base: 535

17. Results Frequency that smokers who are vehicle litterers throw cigarettes out of their vehicle Smokers Base: 260

18. Results Percentage of Smokers and Non-smokers who have thrown … out of their vehicle within the last 6 month Base: 535

19. What Situations?

20. Results Situations Anonymity Quiet (opposed to busy traffic) “It’s less noticeable, also less guilt as it’s gone in a second and then you don’t see it anymore”

21. Results Moving (opposed to stationary)  Members of public “…wouldn’t do it in stationary traffic” “…wouldn’t do it at the lights”

22. Results  Stationary ( as opposed to moving)  Commercial drivers “Don’t like to but might do when parked up” “…at an island – anywhere you stop”

23. Results Residential (opposed to motorway/dual carriageway) Street (opposed to car park) “Less likely to do it near home”

24. Results  Commercial Drivers When there are no bins / the bins are full “In the lay bys the bins are always full and over flowing” “If bin is full I’ll just chuck it to the side, then a lorry will come along and it’s blown in to the road”

25. Results  Commercial Drivers When in the vehicle for long periods of time (most common length of time = 10 -14 hours) “Eat all day long in the vehicle…have been pulled over by a copper for eating while driving.” “…apple cores – easier to throw out…if left it would end up festering.”

26. Results  Commercial Drivers Additional Factors Place of work; “office”, “living quarters” Laziness; “just easier to throw it out” “Even at service stations…lorry drivers are idle. It’s warm in your cab… (and you don’t want to get out)”

27. Reasons for not littering

28. Results Base: 535 Strongest reasons for not littering out of vehicles

29. Solutions

30. Results Solutions Majority (84%) wouldn’t buy a vehicle litter bag Majority (83%) would use one if given for free Majority (81%) said it would reduce amount they litter out of vehicles Members of the public

31. Results Solutions (commercial drivers) No rules / regulations set by employers  Would need real threat to pay and job security  E.g. pay / bonus reduction “(The real deterrent wouldn’t be)… the amount of fine, it would be how many people got caught”

32. Results: Local Authority Opinion Percentage of respondents rating it as favourite Legislative Option 39%Person in control of the vehicle is held responsible 34%Registered owner of the vehicle is required to name the offender 13%Vehicle littering is criminal offence and the offender is prosecutable with a max penalty of £2500 or paying an FPN of £75 within 14 days (current legislation). 12%Decriminalise vehicle littering and deal with it in a similar way to parking tickets (PCN) Base: 122

33. Results Public Opinion 73% agreed that it should be the legal responsibility of the driver to ensure that nobody throws litter from the vehicle.

34. Questions?