Doing our bit towards Granton Going Greener – join the Hub to Station Litter Pick on Saturday 25th September at 11am.
Join us under the Granton Goes Greener feather flag outside the Granton Hub at Maldevic House – We’ll provide the equipment if you come and provide the enthusiasm!
Together let’s clean up our community space.
We’ll be picking litter on the route from Granton Hub along past Caroline Park and up to the old Granton Gasworks Station.
Edinburgh’s network of distinctive Scottish Water Top up Taps has inspired a new outdoor workout challenge with a difference.Kieron Ross, Head Coach and founder of city-based Race Fitness, has plotted a 15.5 km route that people can either run or cycle between the six refillable water points across the city.
And to encourage more people to try out the new tap trail, Kieron is challenging fitness enthusiasts to try to beat his running time of 64 minutes for the circuit.
The Top up Taps are part of Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign which means people keen to stay hydrated on the go can do so free of charge, saving money as well as being kinder to the environment by reducing litter and waste.
Edinburgh was home for the first tap – at the Scottish Parliament – and capital now leads the way in Scotland as the first city to have six taps, with the five other taps located at Leith Links, Portobello, Royal Mile, West End and Grassmarket.
Kieron said: “Four members of my fitness club and I have all ran and cycled the route a few times already. We just thought that we are always looking for new great places to run to, so why not do it between the taps?
“The route takes you to parts of the city you don’t normally go to and you get to see more of Edinburgh, and even better, do it from an entirely different perspective. We’ve also created two other variations of the challenge for those who want to explore specifically the city centre.
“We frequently use the Top up Taps to refill our water bottles and they are especially useful when we go up and down the steps through West End, The Royal Mile and the Holyrood Parliament”
“We’re really pleased to be playing a part in helping people join the wave in learning more about taps – and the benefits they bring. Every Wednesday morning, during my most popular class, we go to some of the taps around the city centre and the new members really value discovering the different tap locations.”
With a focus on running mixed with bodyweight exercises, Kieron Ross has built a fitness group oriented around getting fit in the great Edinburgh outdoors – with the tap trails providing the latest inspiration.
As well as the six-tap route, Kieron has also conceived two others runs – The Royal Mile Dash, a 3.5km run between the Parliament tap and the Grassmarket tap and back; Advocate’s Close Step Challenge, a 10 lap circuit which starts at the Royal Mile Fountain, downhill to Cockburn Street, then turn left up the Advocates Close steps to the Royal Mile.
Kieron added: “I would be thrilled if anyone decides to challenge me on my time between the taps. It’s always great to have some healthy competition. The ultimate challenge is to do it under the hour.
“Staying hydrated when you go for a run is essential, and I can plan a run from my house to Portobello beach without having to worry about having water on me. I can just go and use the taps and move on with my run.
“More people should know about the Top up Taps as they always prove to be so useful. I always make sure to share the route with all of my group members, and everyone has always had a great response to them.”
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “Our Top up Taps mean people out and about can stay hydrated by filling up for free with high quality public tap water – this is ‘your’ water after all, so we want to make sure you can enjoy it as easy and often as possible.
“We know there’s a growing appetite from the public to fill up their reusable bottles – so it’s great that fitness enthusiasts in Edinburgh have another reason to visit and use our taps in the capital, thanks to Kieron’s new route.”
The Your Water Your Life campaign was launched in June 2018 to emphasise the vital role water plays in the lives of people across Scotland.
The first of the Top up Taps was installed in Edinburgh outside the Scottish Parliament in October 2018 and Scottish Water already has 58 situated across Scotland with more to be installed over the rest of the year.
Each of the distinctive, high-tech water stations is plumbed directly into the public water supply and each has digital tracking technology which logs how much water is being used and how much plastic potentially saved.
As Edinburgh’s summer festivals begin in the Capital, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture Leaders have welcomed their return, though urge everyone to play their part for a safe, enjoyable August.
In preparation for the launch of the Art, Book, Fringe, Film and International Festivals, robust plans have been drawn up to allow their safe return. Council officers have worked closely with Festivals Edinburgh, the Summer Festivals, the Scottish Government, Event Scotland and other stakeholders to support the staging of programmes within the latest safety guidance.
Culture Leaders have also thanked all those who have made Edinburgh’s festivals possible in 2021, recognising teams from across the Council, from licensing, events, environmental health and public safety to roads teams, noise and waste services.
This is in close partnership with festival operators, the Scottish Government, NHS, Essential Edinburgh and the Emergency Services, who have collaborated to bring festivals back safely and with a new emphasis on outdoor venues.
Citywide planning began in February with the approach continuously updated and adapted to remain up to date with the latest clinical advice and guidance from the Scottish Government.
While Scotland will move out of COVID level 0 on Monday, festival-goers are being reminded that for this first weekend of celebrations level 0 restrictions will remain in place, and that they should continue to follow the guidance.
From Monday, everyone is still encouraged to take care, practice hand hygiene and give one another space, as well as observing mask-wearing rules.
While delighted to welcome the festivals back, safety has remained a priority for the Council. A wider, more detailed planning process has involved different Event Planning and Operation Group meetings for each festival, all feeding into a citywide forum for overview. This year venues will be spread throughout the city and while traditional venues are being used again, a range of exciting new settings will be brought to life this year.
As in previous years, joint inspections between the Council and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are now underway ensuring safety at all venues. Throughout the festivals, spot checks will take place as well as daily multi-agency meetings to ensure the safe continued running of the festival.
In addition to safety plans the Council is working with Fringe organisers, as always, to make sure the High Street is kept clean and well managed and would remind everyone that when they’re out and about to always bin litter or take it home.
This summer the Council has added 30 additional litter bins to parks and open spaces across the city, including BBQ bins at Inverleith, Portobello Beach and Leith Links. Additional public toilets have also been installed in six parks and new signage placed on 90+ litter bins in hotspot parks and waterside locations.
Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Donald Wilson said: “We’re incredibly proud to be known as the world’s Festival City and recognise the extremely positive contribution our festivals make to our lives, bringing the arts to Edinburgh in a way no other city on the planet enjoys.
“We are delighted see their return this year but want to assure citizens that public health remains a priority and all the Festivals have planned with this in mind. We’ve been working closely with all the organisers and our partners to ensure they can be enjoyed safely and would remind everyone to follow health advice and keep everyone safe. Please remember that for the first weekend of the festivals, we’re still in level 0 of the restrictions framework, so please observe the guidance in place.
“The city and events sector has responded to the crisis with determination and innovation with either hybrid models of delivery or the creation of outdoor/online programmes and whilst this year sees a much smaller offering it will be fantastic to see some of the buzz return to the city.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Communities Vice Convener, said: “The return of live August festivals events and performances truly reflects our city’s ongoing recovery and, of course, our cultural DNA.
“There’s no doubt our festivals were greatly missed last year and it’s going to be fantastic to welcome back audiences and to those visiting we ask them to continue to follow the safety guidance and please enjoy this year’s offering safely.
“The planning for the festivals has been an enormous task especially under the ongoing pressures of the pandemic and I would like to thank all the teams and partner organisations who have worked together throughout to bring some of that festival magic back to the city this year.”
The city council is supporting the second phase of the award-wining Scotland is Stunning – Let’s Keep It That Way litter prevention campaign.
First launched last year to coincide with tourism re-opening in Scotland, the campaign by Zero Waste Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government and Keep Scotland Beautiful, aims to raise awareness of the harm done by littering, encouraging Scots to change their habits by taking their litter home or binning it.
Scotland is Stunning – Let’s Keep It That Way aims to encourage people in Edinburgh who are eager to go out and enjoy Scotland’s natural beauty and wildlife to bin their litter or take it home with them.
Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “We’re supporting this campaign as Edinburgh is a stunning city and we want to keep it that way.
“If you’re out enjoying our beautiful parks, beaches and other open spaces please respect the environment and other people who love the city as much as we do by picking up after your pooch and binning your litter or taking it home with you.
“It’s more important than ever that we all remember to do this over the summer months when our fantastic city can become very busy. We’re doing our bit by targeting at least ten ‘hot spot’ areas with campaign materials like bin stickers and social media messaging to encourage everyone to keep our much loved Capital city clean.”
The campaign, in which popular Scottish comedian Janey Godley lends her voice to radio and online adverts, reminds Scots out enjoying themselves to leave a green or rural space exactly the way you found it.
Janey Godley, said:“It’s no secret that I love Scotland and all the goings on, and I don’t understand why people would want to destroy our wee beauty spots with their rubbish.
“When I’m taking my wee sausage dog out for a walk or dragging my daughter on a day trip, I don’t want to be dodging coffee cups, plastic water bottles or sandwich packets.
“Take your rubbish home with you or bin it, ye’ve been tellt!”.
As Scotland takes another step back to normality, rural and green spaces and urban parks are expected to see a flurry of visitors in the coming months, raising concerns about littering. In fact, most people in Scotland are concerned about litter levels in their local area, with research carried out by Zero Waste Scotland indicating that a majority (89%) see it as a problem in their area. Recently, a third (34%) of the population have seen an increase in litter since the pandemic.
As well as being an eyesore, dropping litter is a criminal offence. Discarded waste can harm wildlife and be a danger for children.
This campaign also leads the way for behaviour change ahead of the expected ban on certain problematic single-use plastic products. As Scotland moves away from single-use items and increases recycling through the new Deposit Return Scheme for drinks cans and bottles, this will ultimately result in less litter, making a good case for systemic change.
https://youtu.be/mpIwSyFe0QY
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said:“As restrictions ease and many of us can once again return to our favourite Scottish beauty spots, we are asking everyone to take their litter home or bin it.
“Visitors to green and rural areas will be keen to make up for lost time and we don’t blame them. We’re joining forces with brilliant partners once again to remind everyone to respect our hills, lochs, parks, and woodlands. Now is the time to enjoy the great outdoors but please leave Scotland as stunning as it was when you found it.”
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, said:“We want everyone to have the chance to enjoy Scotland’s stunning outdoors this summer.
“Litter isn’t just an eye sore – it harms our wildlife, contributes to the climate crisis and impacts on our health and wellbeing. To make sure people can enjoy our parks, beaches and countryside after you leave, please put your rubbish in the bin, recycling it if you can.”
Barry Fisher, CEO, Keep Scotland Beautiful said:“We know from our work with communities across Scotland that most people want to do the right thing and take action to make all of Scotland stunning again.
“Our evidence shows that we’re facing a looming litter emergency across Scotland, so we’re delighted to support this campaign. We all can, and should, do more to tackle litter. And while some people need to change their behaviour, thousands of people have pledged to litter pick as part of our Summer Clean this month, helping them turn their anger into action.”
The Scotland is Stunning – Let’s Keep It That Way campaign will be rolled out across social media channels and outdoor advertising over the summer holidays.Partners, businesses, local authorities, and community groups are encouraged to download the free campaign toolkit, which includes digital tools and posters.
The campaign will involve close working with partners across different industries, from tourism to transport, building on the strong performance of the initial campaign in 2020, which achieved backing of over 100 organisations and positive feedback from those surveyed.
To support the campaign and encourage others to do the same, please download the campaign toolkit, or visit www.managingourwaste.scot/litter for further details.
Scottish communities called on to join UK’s largest ever collaboration to reduce river litter
Keep Scotland Beautiful are delighted to be part of a the new Treasure Your River, campaign, wich launched this week. The campaign will help reduce the huge amount of litter entering the River Forth and subsequently the sea.
We are working with Hubbub to call for businesses, community groups, residents and other organisations situated along the River Forth and its estuary – from Stirling, down to Edinburgh and along the Fife and East Lothian coastline – to get involved.
The campaign will run over the next six months and the programme of activities includes visiting robot boats and a recycled fishing for litter punt, an exciting art installation and litter surveys and clean up activity.
Organisations across the UK, including the Angling Trust, Scottish Canals, Canal & River Trust, Keep Wales Tidy, Mersey Rivers Trust, Sustainable Hive, Thames 21, The Rivers Trust and companies like Coca-Cola and Costa have already pledged to do their bit. Now, in Scotland we are on the look-out for volunteers to support the campaign.
In 2019, Hubbub’s polling1 found that 75% of UK adults wanted to do more to help tackle marine litter. After a year of lockdown people’s appreciation of nature has risen further and Treasure Your River will provide more opportunities for people around the UK to get involved and help protect our rivers and seas.
Treasure Your River will engage the public on how they can make a difference through simple changes such as taking their rubbish home with them, providing tools and guidance for litter picks and responsible disposal of fishing tackle.
As well as tackling littering behaviour with eye-catching bins and activities, the campaign aims to create a legacy for each river, with an army of regular volunteers and litter-clearing infrastructure.
Barry Fisher, KSB CEOsaid: “We’re delighted to be working with Hubbub to bring ‘Treasure Your River’ to the communities along the River Forth. This exciting campaign complements our source-to-sea litter activity on other iconic Scottish rivers.
“Our data shows that we are facing a litter emergency in Scotland, and with 80% of marine litter coming from land, often via our waterways, we are looking forward to collaborating with others across the UK to tackle this global issue.
“Increasing awareness of lockdown litter levels have galvanised action across Scotland and we have seen an upsurge in positive activity as people pledge to litter pick the places they love – now we’re eager to build on this by supporting those living and working along the Forth to unite with others to take collective action to stop litter entering the sea via the river and its tributaries.”
Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-founder of Hubbubsaid: “As lockdown restrictionsare lifted there is increased concern about the amount of litter in our public and green spaces. Treasure Your River aims to make the connection between litter in our towns and cities and plastic in the oceans, and to offer people something positive they can do about it.
“The majority of plastics in the oceans are carried there by rivers; the River Mersey for example has proportionately higher levels of microplastic pollution than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We invite any individual or organisations along these rivers to come together and help halt the flow of litter into the sea.
“There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a local business, a sailing club, a school, a charity or a resident.”
Treasure Your River aims to be the UK’s largest ever collaborative effort to prevent and reduce the amount of litter in our waterways, tackling six of the UK’s largest river systems: the Avon, Forth, Mersey, Severn, Thames and Trent and their tributaries.
The campaign is being run by environmental charity Hubbub with funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation. It will initially focus on preventing litter from entering the rivers and clean-up activities in seven major cities based on these rivers and the waterways that flow into them – Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Nottingham, which between them are home to 1 in 6 of the UK population.
Scotland is a beautiful country. Our roads are how we travel and explore it. So we know that as travel restrictions ease this Friday, individuals and families across Scotland will be excited about exploring our countryside, parks and beaches once again.
Over recent years our annual litter surveys have highlighted that our throw-away society has resulted in an increase in litter nationally and many of our roadsides are blighted by a jumble of cans, bottles, cups, crisp packets, and food wrappers, tubs and boxes, flung from the windows of passing vehicles.
As travel restrictions are lifted this weekend, it is more important than ever that we all play our part in looking after our country and our roadsides.
Catherine Gee, KSB’s Deputy Chief Executive said: “Prior to lockdown more than 50 tonnes of litter was thrown onto Scotland’s roadsides each month.
“This litter is difficult, dangerous and expensive to clean up and ruins the view for locals and visitors alike – with 91% of people believing roadside litter creates a negative impression of our country.
“During lockdown our polling indicated that 30% of people believed the overall condition of their local neighbourhoods had deteriorated.
“Over the last twelve months local authorities and road operating companies across the country have been under pressure to adapt services due to the health crisis and prioritise essential services to protect public health.
“Now, as we emerge from lockdown, we want to work with all of the main stakeholders – the road operating companies with responsibility for litter removal on the motorways about their deep cleans scheduled for this spring and summer, local authorities who have responsibility for all other roads, and retailers – about possible interventions we can support them with to raise awareness of the illegal behaviour of tossing litter from a vehicle and the impact it has on our environment.”
Litter ruins the view for locals and visitors alike. It is harmful to wildlife and environmental quality.
With our Summer Clean coming up between May 28 and June 20 we are asking people across Scotland to pledge to pick up litter, but cleaning up on the roadsides is dangerous – cleaning up is not the answer, prevention is.
Council Leaders are calling on Edinburgh citizens to enjoy the springtime festivities safely, considerately and locally while Covid restrictions are still in place.
Weather forecasters are predicting long spells of sunshine and mild temperatures this weekend, meaning thousands of people are expected to flock to enjoy the bank holiday weekend in the many parks and beauty spots around the Capital.
From today [Friday 2 April], Scotland’s ‘Stay at Home’ advice changes to ‘Stay Local’, as part of the national roadmap out of lockdown.
This means people can leave their homes for purposes other than work, exercise or to buy food, but there is still a restriction on travelling outwith your local authority area, unless it’s essential.
Recent media reports and social media coverage have highlighted significant amounts of litter left behind in parks such as the Meadows, where there have also been incidents involving illegal gatherings and antisocial behaviour such as public urination and toileting.
Council waste and cleansing workers will be targeting resources in the Meadows and other popular destinations over the Easter break, with extra collections of large litter bins in targeted areas.
The Council continues to work very closely with Police Scotland to address antisocial behaviour. Following recent incidents of antisocial behaviour and breaches of Covid restrictions in the Meadows, including on the evening of Tuesday 30 March when a large gathering was dispersed by Police Scotland, visible police patrols will continue in the area throughout the Easter period.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “I want to pay tribute to everyone in the city who’s worked so hard and sacrificed so much to keep themselves, their loved ones and our whole community safe through this dreadful pandemic.
“As things start to ease up, it’ll be wonderful to begin enjoying some of the things we’ve all missed so much, but we have to take things slow and steady, or we risk setting ourselves back again.
“This Easter weekend is a great opportunity to meet up safely with friends and family, in line with the guidance. I know the vast majority of citizens will enjoy our fabulous open spaces responsibly, leaving the areas as they’d expect to find them.
“Sadly, some people don’t always behave quite so considerately, so our sincere plea to everyone is to respect and care for our parks, beaches and greenspaces while you’re visiting them. If there’s no bin or the bin’s full awaiting one of our regular patrols to empty it, please take your litter home with you. The Council teams are working hard to keep our green spaces clean but please remember your rubbish is your responsibility.
“Remember the need to Stay Local, too – we can’t run the risk right now of the virus travelling between local authority areas. It will be safe again to travel within Scotland before too long if we all stick together and help keep the case rates down. If we stick at it and do our bit now, it won’t be long before we all reap the benefits.”
Council Depute Leader Cammy Day said:Edinburgh is an amazingly beautiful city and we’re so lucky to have so much access to nature and green spaces. So it’s really disheartening to see images of parks and beaches disfigured by litter and dog fouling – there’s absolutely no excuse for it.
“We’re urging everyone who’s planning a visit to a beauty spot this Easter weekend – or anytime, for that matter – to remember that these fantastic spaces are for every single one of us to enjoy.
“Please clean up after yourselves (and your dogs!) for the next person or family who comes along. We want to see the same community-mindedness and respect for each other’s wellbeing that shone out in Edinburgh’s response to the pandemic replicated in the way people treat our shared spaces.”
Chief Superintendent Sean Scott, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, said: “The coronavirus regulations have had a significant impact on our lives and I would like to thank the vast majority of people who are sticking to the rules and doing the right thing to avoid the spread of the virus as we move through the easing of restrictions.
“People should not travel outwith their local authority area except for essential purposes. While Easter weekend is traditionally a time for visiting friends and family, I would urge people to stay local and follow the regulations on gatherings.
“If you are visiting beauty spots within your local area, do so safely and respectfully – leaving no trace of your visit. Please also park responsibly to allow emergency access.
“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and encourage compliance, but we will not hesitate to use our enforcement powers as a last resort.”
As well as the Stay Local change from 2 April, other adjustments to the national Covid restrictions will see garden centres, hairdressers, car dealerships, click and collect retail services and homeware stores, among others, able to reopen from 5 April.
Social media messaging on litter, dog fouling and public urination will be ramped up on the Council’s social media channels throughout the Easter period, along with reminders on the changes to national guidance so people understand which measures have been relaxed or amended.
New data shows 23 items of rubbish are dropped in the UK every second
Shocking data has revealed the true impact of the UK’s litter crisis, with cigarettes being the most irresponsibly disposed item.
Data found by Regatta and Keep Britain Tidy shows approximately 30% of litter in the UK is smoking-related, with a staggering 244 million cigarette butts discarded as litter.
According to Keep Britain Tidy, which exists to try to eliminate litter and end waste, two million pieces of rubbish are dropped every day across the country. This means that 23 items of rubbish are dropped every second on average.
“Due to the impact of the Coronavirus, more people than ever have gone out on walks and to explore their local green spaces. The amount of litter dropped by visitors saw local people become frustrated on social media as day-trippers left piles of rubbish lying around instead of taking it home with them,” says a spokesperson for Regatta.
However, this rubbish isn’t just ruining some of the best landscapes in the UK – it’s also having a serious impact on people and the environment.
Keep Britain Tidy recently revealed that street cleaning costs taxpayers more than £1 billion every year, showing the litter crisis isn’t just costing the planet anymore, but the public too.
Meanwhile, RSPCA announced recently they receive an average of 14 calls a day about wildlife harmed by litter, and the organisation suggests that the actual number of animals affected by rubbish is likely to be much higher.
“We all enjoy the great outdoors, and more recently with lockdown easing, people have been admiring all the UK has to offer more than ever.
“We hoped that comparing the litter crisis to one of the UK’s most loved and respected landscapes, we’d be able to encourage others to be mindful of littering and to get involved with a local clean-up event,” a spokesperson for Regatta continued.
Keep Scotland Beautiful: make Scotland ‘litter-ate’
Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, has published a new report on Scotland’s local environmental quality highlighting an avalanche of evidence from its audits from the past two decades which points to a looming litter emergency – hidden in plain sight.
The charity is calling for eight urgent actions to make Scotland ‘litter-ate’ and is urging key stakeholders and communities to join efforts to change the way we behave to tackle unacceptable levels of litter, dog fouling, graffiti, weeds and detritus.
The report ‘Time for a new approach to tackling litter‘ highlights an accelerating decline in standards from 2013 to 2020 – with only 16% of audited sites being recorded as litter free last year compared to 31% in 2013, and dog fouling now found on 3% more streets that in 2013. In addition, results also showed a more marked decline in Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods.
Local environmental quality standards in Scotland were already in decline before the pandemic, now nine months on, as we rely on good quality neighbourhoods for our health and wellbeing, our polling has highlighted that 30% of people believe the overall condition of their local neighbourhood deteriorated during lockdown.
Yet, despite the impact of this ‘lockdown effect’, where people have noticed an increase in the severity and prevalence of poor environmental quality, improved connections have been made with the environment and local neighbourhoods.
And, positively, Keep Scotland Beautiful has come together with others to tackle the rise in flytipping, dog fouling and littering during a challenging year. Building on this as we enter a new year is key to tackling the behaviours behind the looming litter emergency.
This is why the charity has outlined an eight-point cross sector agenda for change to tackle the complex interlinking problems leading to the decline. This includes calls for an: education and behaviour change programme to create a Scotland that is truly litter-ate; a review of the failing model of enforcement; and further collaboration to bring together a reinvigorated Scottish network working together to jointly reverse the decline.
Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautifulsaid, “The increasingly visible new litter type – the single use face mask – has become a symbol of our disregard for Scotland and our fellow citizens.
“The simple truth is that we need to all start questioning our own habits – what we consume, what we throw away, and how we look after our local neighbourhoods – and we need to address the looming litter emergency head on by changing our own behaviours and working together with key partners, to build on the successes of this year.
“We must respect and look after the places that we love if we are to have any hope of solving the global climate and nature crises. Tackling the first can help the latter. We need you to join us to make our communities, businesses and individuals truly litter-ate.”
Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Our relentless consumption of materials is Scotland’s biggest contributor to the climate crisis. The extraction, manufacture and transport of materials is a huge source of carbon emissions and something we could affect by reducing our demand for single-use items.
“It is particularly upsetting that people continue to pollute our streets, parks, streams and rivers, where they continue to cause damage for months and years to come. This needs to stop and we will continue to work with Keep Scotland Beautiful and other partners to find solutions to these issues.”
Keep Scotland Beautiful is committed to continuing efforts to support communities, local authorities, businesses, and national agencies to reverse the decline in environmental quality across Scotland – from rural to urban settings – but your support is needed.
The time to act is now. Scotland is beautiful, and we must all commit to do more to protect and enhance the places we care for.
With temperatures on the rise again today Police in Edinburgh have made a public appeal for people to behave responsibly:
Last weekend saw an increase in antisocial behaviour and disorder, particularly at Portobello Beach and the Meadows. Dedicated officers will be on patrol this afternoon and over the weekend, focussing on engagement and early intervention, particularly in these areas.
Officers would like to remind the public that we still need to control the spread of Coronavirus and follow the guidelines from the Scottish Government.
Superintendent David Robertson from St Leonard’s Police Station said: “Last weekend saw small groups of individuals, intent on trouble, engage in antisocial behaviour, risking public health and disrupting the enjoyment of the Meadows and Portobello beach for those wishing to do so responsibility. Let me be clear that this behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Officers will be on patrol in these areas this afternoon and over the weekend and will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance and encourage compliance. We will use enforcement as a last resort only where there is a clear breach of the legislation. Our ultimate aim over the weekend is to prevent further disorder.
“Officers have been specifically briefed in respect of early intervention, engagement and will make use of the Edinburgh street drinking byelaw, where it is necessary and proportionate to do so in order to prevent antisocial behaviour. As was the case last weekend, those identified as being involved in antisocial behaviour and disorder will be arrested and charged accordingly.”
“The Chief Constable has made it clear that we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.
“Aberdeen going into lockdown is a stark reminder that the virus is still very present and posing a threat to our communities. It also underpins the importance of continuing to follow the Scottish Government guidance.”
