Greggs shamed in lists on litter
Jan 13 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
NORTH-BASED bakers Greggs are today branded one of the main sources of fast food litter.
Keep Britain Tidy named McDonald’s as the number-one source of fast-food rubbish strewn across the streets of Newcastle, with the bakery chain, which has its headquarters in the city, second.
Nationally, Greggs was third in the litter league behind unbranded local chippies and kebab shops, with McDonald’s top.
Keep Britain Tidy surveyors spent two days in 10 city centres and surrounding areas investigating which brands most commonly appeared as litter.
It was the first time litter had been looked at in terms of brands – an area which the environmental charity intends to put focus more on in future.
McDonald’s customers were found to be responsible for more than half the wrappers, cartons and uneaten food dropped in Newcastle.
In addition to the fast-food giant (53%), Keep Britain Tidy identified Greggs (20%) and unbranded local chippies and kebab shops (13%) as having a high gutter share.
KFC was next with 6% and Burger King on 5%.
The investigators also studied Shields Road, Byker, where they found Greggs 50%, unbranded fish & chips/kebab 28%, McDonald’s 22%.
Keep Britain Tidy has delivered the findings of its survey to the chief executives of all the outlets named and demanded they accept more responsibility for what happens to food and packaging.
Phil Barton, Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, said: “This is the first time we have looked at which brands are littering Newcastle and the results are very revealing.
“McDonald’s and Greggs litter is causing problems in the city and is also a significant eyesore across the country.
“We condemn customers for dropping fast-food litter in the first place, but also believe the findings have pertinent messages for the industry itself.
“Fast-food companies have to play a more active role in delivering an anti-litter message at the point of sale and also reduce unnecessary packaging to make it easier for customers to do the right thing.”
A Greggs spokesman said last night: “As a responsible company which cares about the communities in which we operate, we recognise that we have a role in helping to tackle the issue of litter.
“Litter is an ongoing challenge which we are committed to tackling and as such have taken the following measures.
“Our paper bags and carrier bags have wording on them asking customers to use a bin and keep Britain tidy.
“In the last couple of years we have worked in partnership with more than 50 local authorities to tackle any litter issues that have been brought to our attention by these authorities.
“We no longer automatically issue carrier bags to customers, and we have also changed the materials used in the bags to be more environmentally friendly.”
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said the company has been signed up since 2004 to the Government’s voluntary code of practice to help reduce litter created by food on the go.
“We ask all customers to dispose of their litter responsibly and provide plenty of bins both in and around our restaurants.
“Each restaurant is expected to send out a minimum of three litter patrols each day, who clear all litter – not just McDonald’s – up to 100m away from the restaurant and we are currently trialling full-time litter pickers in the Birmingham and Manchester areas.”
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