Partners join forces to help curb roadside litter

We care roadside litter campaign

Dover District Council (DDC), Veolia UK, National Highways, Port of Dover, DFDS and P&O Ferries are working together to help address the huge amounts of litter discarded on one of the main routes into Dover - with a joint awareness campaign being piloted for the first time.

In 2024, Veolia, on behalf of DDC, cleared over 23,000kgs (23 tonnes) of litter and debris from the dual carriageway between the Duke of York and Whitfield roundabouts. 

The Port of Dover attracts 2 million freight vehicles and 1.3 million tourist vehicles each year, all of which use the district’s high-speed roads to access the port, and the clearance cost of roadside litter (and related road closures) has a big impact on residents, visitors and taxpayers. Not only does it look unsightly, discarded rubbish can endanger motorists and wildlife too. 

Any high-speed road clean-up requires detailed planning to minimise the disruption of road closures and delays to traffic - while ensuring the safety of operatives undertaking this work.

The ‘We care’ campaign - targeting drivers who use the A2 route - will take place over the summer, following a planned clean-up in March.

The six-month campaign will include:

• Planned installation of new ‘compactor style’ bins with associated signage in the laybys between the Whitfield roundabout and the port.
• Use of National Highways yellow and black signage for litter warnings along the route.
• Displaying posters onboard the ferries and at service stations/fast food restaurants close by.
• Adding the anti-littering campaign messaging to relevant emails and paperwork with ferry passengers who have booked a crossing.
• Including the anti-littering campaign messaging on the information and digital display boards at Dover Port.
• Sharing the campaign messaging through partners’ social media channels.
• Providing posters to display for local retailers who would also like to offer their support.

Cllr Jamie Pout, DDC Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “The sheer amount of traffic that travels through our district on these primary routes leaves its mark, with ever increasing amounts of litter on the roadside. We hope that this joint campaign will draw attention to the blight of discarded litter on our roads and encourage drivers to use the bins provided or take their litter home with them.”

David Fitzgerald, General Manager for Veolia South East, said: "We are delighted to be part of the We care campaign, working in partnership with Dover District Council to reduce roadside litter. Veolia’s street cleansing teams are committed to protecting and improving the local environment through the essential services they provide. We hope the campaign will support users of the A2 to help keep the area clean and tidy for residents and visitors.”

Freda Rashdi, Head of Customer Journeys for National Highways, said: “We’re pleased to be supporting Dover District Council to reduce roadside litter. We will be providing a range of anti-litter signs to deter road users from dropping rubbish in the area, as well as ongoing collaboration and support.

 “Littering is a social problem, and we are working hard to tackle it on our roads. We comply with our duties under the Environmental Protection Act, and teams are litter-picking almost every day. To keep them safe we have to close motorway and A-road lanes, delaying drivers and costing millions of pounds. But if people didn’t drop rubbish in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up.”

Notes

• According to the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy it costs the taxpayer more than £850 million a year to clear up roadside rubbish.
• Additional regulations, introduced in April 2018, mean that local councils can now issue a £75 penalty notice (payable within 28 days) to the registered owner of a car if it can be proved litter had been dumped from their vehicle - even if someone else discarded the rubbish.
• The roadside clean-up will start on 24 March and is expected to last two weeks.
• Campaign partners will also be involved in the Great British Spring Clean (GBSC) once again this year, which takes place from 21 March – 6 April, and focuses on volunteers’ litter picking their local area. For any local businesses happy to support the GBSC, please email envcrime@dover.gov.uk to receive an information pack.
• National Highway’s litter strategy outlines their approach to litter.