More than 1,800 miles of Wiltshire's roads litter picked since September
Wiltshire Council's continuing efforts to reduce litter and keep Wiltshire looking beautiful has seen more than 1,800 miles of the county's A, B and C roads litter picked in the last three months, with nearly 15,000kg of litter removed.

Teams carry out daily patrols and regular litter collections on the county's rural roads and verges, plus the A303 and A36 which are managed by National Highways. To collect litter on the A303 and A36, the council has to seek permission from National Highways and put measures in place that ensure the safety its workers and minimise disruption to road users. Sometimes, this may require traffic management such as stop/go signalling or even full lane closures.
Areas across the county that are identified as litter hotspots are cleared more frequently and may also be subject to additional measures to help prevent litter and catch offenders, such as enforcement cameras.
The council also encourages and supports local communities to set up their own litter collection initiatives, with a large number of regular events already happening throughout the county on a monthly basis. Community groups are encouraged to focus on residential areas and open spaces and to report litter found on any main roads, so this can be dealt with by safely and efficiently by our teams.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, said: One of our main focuses in our Business Plan is to take responsibility for the environment, and to keep Wiltshire a beautiful county with unspoilt views and landscapes. As well as being unsightly, litter can also be a danger to wildlife and drivers on our road networks. Therefore ensuring our road networks are regularly litter picked is a crucial job for us to complete.
Our crews work in potentially dangerous conditions when carrying out the roadside collections so these are carefully planned and managed to ensure safety of them and other road users.
We really appreciate the efforts of our community groups and thank them for all the work that they do to help us, but it's really important that they do so safely, and by not putting themselves at risk, that means not litter picking on main roads.
Ultimately, I want to remind everyone that if we all dispose of our litter correctly when out and about, or take it home with us, there would be no need for litter collections. Don't Mess with Wiltshire, dispose of your litter correctly.
Anyone who would like information, support or equipment to assist with a community litter pick should contact the Streetscene Community Engagement Manager at wiltshirehelpdesk@idverde.co.uk (opens new window)
To report litter in Wiltshire, people can go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/litter