New figures reveal the true scale of littering on England’s major roads

National Highways staff collected almost 8,000 bags of litter over a two-week period as part of a national campaign to keep Britain tidy.

Almost 8,000 bags of litter were collected by National Highways as part of a nationwide effort to clean up the country’s motorways and major a-roads this spring. 

That equates to approximately 65 tonnes or the weight of around 50 cars’ worth of rubbish dumped on the side of England’s major roads. That means we collected 30% more rubbish than the same period last year. 

National Highways’ teams collected the litter as part of the Great British Spring Clean, which aims to reduce the impact of litter on the environment and wildlife and is run by the charity Keep Britain Tidy. National Highways staff also volunteered during their lunch breaks to collect litter near offices and depots. 

Every summer there is an increase in litter being dropped on the roads, with increasing amounts of traffic. Last year, people drove approximately 339 billion miles on England’s motorways and major A-roads from June to September.  

That’s why National Highways is calling on people to do the right thing and put their rubbish in a bin. 

National Highways Head of Customer Journeys, Freda Rashdi, said:  

“Clearing litter from our roads costs taxpayers millions of pounds so by disposing of litter responsibly, we can keep our roads safe and clear of rubbish and reduce the costs to the public. 

“Our message is really simple, don’t litter. Putting your rubbish in the bin doesn’t just help drivers, but  goes a long way to protecting the wildlife and the environment.” 

The RSPCA has received more than 10,000 reports of animals found injured, trapped or dead from discarded litter over the last three years – that's nearly 10 reports every day. 

Meanwhile, a recent study by National Highways found that 20% of drivers who admitted to littering said they intentionally discarded biodegradable waste to feed the wildlife. 

It's estimated that approximately three million animals die each year in the UK due to littering. This includes animals injured or killed by becoming entangled in litter, or by being attracted to discarded food and then being struck by vehicles on roads.