Renfrewshire taxi drivers back the campaign to clean up roadside litter

Taxi drivers across Renfrewshire have backed the campaign to stop roadside litter blighting the local environment.

Paisley Taxis and Renfrewshire Cabs have both shown their support for the Team Up to Clean Up campaign by pledging that their drivers will give their litter a lift and take it home.

Drivers have been provided with car litter bags to keep their own and customer’s litter in until they reach a bin and air fresheners too to advertise the campaign to their passengers.

Craig Allan, Paisley Taxis, said: “It’s important that all of our drivers are aware of the damage to the environment that littering can do and we are encouraging all of them to use the litter bags provided to give their litter a lift home.

“We’re happy to support the Team Up to Clean Up campaign and will work hard to ensure we do all we can to keep our streets free of roadside litter.”

Posters on local lampposts will also highlight the issue and two specially-designed funnel bins provided by Keep Scotland Beautiful will be placed in known hotspots for vehicle littering which allow litter to be thrown into them from a vehicle.

Hannah McCulloch, Renfrewshire Cabs, said: “We are committed to helping the community and our fleet of 500 drivers are on the road 24/7.

“We always discourage and sanction any driver found to be discarding litter from their car.

“The council have worked hard on this campaign and we should all do our best to keep our community litter free”

Renfrewshire Council’s Team Up to Clean Up campaign aims to challenge the culture of littering and inspire people to take care of their local area.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “We’re delighted that the taxi companies in Renfrewshire have shown their support for the campaign as roadside litter can be a big issue.

“People may think that one piece of litter thrown from their vehicle won’t make a difference, but if everyone does it then it can cause serious damage to the local environment and also puts the road workers who have to clear it up at risk.

“It’s important that people recognise how important it is to dispose of their litter correctly and I’m delighted that our taxi drivers have made this commitment.”

Roadside litter is a key strand of the Team Up to Clean Up campaign, which has seen a five-year, £2.5million investment to provide an increased programme of road sweeping, drain clearing and litter picking in Renfrewshire, an enhanced Rapid Response Team and the facilitating of local communities to undertake clean ups within their local area.

Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Roadside Litter campaign encourages road users to give their litter a lift and take it home, countering the alarming statistic that 50 tonnes of litter is abandoned on Scotland’s roadsides every month.

For more information on both campaigns, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/teamuptocleanup and www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/roadsidelitter.