News Release

29th October 2003

TAKE-AWAY LITTER

Michael Fabricant has broadly welcomed plans to tighten up on litter disposed of from take-away food stores. Drive-through restaurants are particularly highlighted by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. The campaign's chief executive, Alan Woods, said: "We're finding burger cartons, pizza boxes and plastic cups away from the high street, on our roads and dumped in the countryside. Much of that rubbish has to have come from the drive-throughs and its time they, rather than the British taxpayer, forked out something to clean it up."

Michael Fabricant agrees "But the Government's plan today for a voluntary code of conduct is unlikely to be effective with small independent take-away food outlets. While I can see big firms like MacDonalds complying, I do not believe that all independent fish and chip shops and kebab houses will have either the resources or the will to comply."

A Keep Britain Tidy study says that fast food packaging on the streets has grown by 12% since last year, with snack wrappers rising by 11%. Pieces of pizza, half-eaten burgers and other food also increased by 7% - eagerly eaten up by the swelling rat population. In contrast, levels of builder's rubbish, household trash and dog fouling has fallen. Junked fast food was found on 18% more main roads than last year and on 14% more rural roads. There was also an 11% rise in rubbish found in out-of-town areas.

"I am particularly conscious of the growing rat population around The Minster Pool in Lichfield and increasing rubbish in Chasetown and up Beacon Street in Lichfield. Both are due to people unthinkingly throwing away polystyrene containers - in themselves unsightly - containing remnants of uneaten food." says Michael Fabricant.

"The Government's proposed voluntary code of conduct is just pie in the sky stuff - if not pie on the pavement. Local councils need additional resources to fine litter offenders and to provide better cleaning facilities and more bins. I am not convinced that this code will have much, if any, effect in Lichfield, Burntwood or places like Alrewas where most take-away food outlets are relatively small independents." Michael adds.