The coronavirus epidemic has created another epidemic – of PPE litter.

According to a YouGov poll commissioned by the CPRE (The Campaign to Protect Rural England) over 38 per cent of adults in England have seen more litter near to where they live since March and over 76 per cent have noticed more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being littered.

There has also been more evidence of fly tipping.

The poll also revealed that over three quarters of the English public agree that the government should be taking more action to tackle litter, including 33 per cent who strongly agree government should be doing more.

Sophie Colley from Litter Free Dorset said, “It has been disheartening to see littering behaviour increase in Dorset this year following lockdown however despite this communities and organisations have come together to tackle issues across the county. Numerous litter picking groups and individual litter heroes helped clean our beaches, beauty spots and greenspaces. A campaign was launched to target BBQ litter as well as messages spread to encourage people to responsibly dispose of their PPE. Thank you to the individuals across Dorset who work so hard to keep Dorset beautiful.”