Dried snuff, cigarette butts and disposable packaging have become increasingly common to see on the streets, shows the latest survey from Håll Sverige Rent and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
– It’s ugly and unpleasant, after all, we want cities that you both enjoy and feel safe in, which means that this sends the wrong signals, says Alma Rejler, development manager at the City of Borås.
25 percent increase in junk items
In the last three years, the number of items of rubbish per every ten square meters has increased by almost 25 percent in Sweden’s larger urban areas. To curb this development, the city of Borås has tried to attract citizens to use their trash cans around the city, with, among other things, talking trash cans.
– We have tried to decorate the bins with different messages to arouse thought, and also done several works to get people to take care of their rubbish, says Alma Rejler.
Increased consumption contributes to litter
One of the reasons why littering has increased, Alma Rejler believes, may be due to the increased consumption in society.
– For example, there are more people who snuff, and it may be that our behavior pattern plays a role in what ends up on the ground, says Alma Rejler.
Only 2.6 percent of the selected city centers included in the survey are described as litter-free, and this means that there will be large costs to remove the litter.
Cleaning costs millions
– Constantly cleaning the streets, emptying bins and doing campaign work costs several millions, it’s money that could have gone to more enjoyable things for the residents, says Alma Rejler.
According to a report from Håll Sverige Rent, seven out of ten Swedes think littering is a big or very big problem. Despite that, Alma Rejler believes that a change is still needed in people’s attitude to littering.
– It is very much an attitude problem, even though we have several garbage cans in one of the squares in the city, it is still one of the most littered places in Borås.