MADAM - With disposable packaging at an all-time high the UK is experiencing levels of litter on an unprecedented scale. The impact of this has moved beyond mere aesthetic displeasure, seriously posing a threat to both public and environmental health. All is not lost, however, as we can still do something about it.

Let’s do it! UK is a national anti-litter campaign, and part of the global Let’s do it! World movement. This year we are organising the UK’s first nationwide Clean Up Day, and on 13 September we are calling on everyone to come out together and clean up their local area.

The disposability of our waste is a one-way road, with plastic bags and bottles taking hundreds of years to degrade. One of the biggest impacts of this disposable economy is the threat it poses to wildlife. Cigarette butts, often thought to be biodegradable - a longstanding myth - threaten urban birds, who digest these butts; along with the plastic lining and tar that comes with it.

It is not too late to make a change, but we need your help if we are to make the UK clean again.

For more information, and to start or join in with a clean up, visit Let’s do it! UK’s website www.letsdoituk.net and join us on 13 September.

Dr Luke Blazejewski

Campaign Coordinator Let’s do it! UK