In response to coronavirus, it is now mandatory to wear face coverings in certain indoor places, shops, on public transport and public transport premises such as railway and bus stations and airports. Face coverings are also required to be worn by many school pupils and parents on
the school run.

Around 1/3 of Scots choose to wear single-use face coverings instead of reusable options. The widespread use of face coverings has led to a spike in
associated litter, which is having a devastating impact on the environment, our wildlife and marine life. Single-use face coverings are made from layers of plastic and once littered will last for decades, polluting our environment.

Although littering is not a new issue, many local authorities, environmental organisations and community groups have been reporting an increase in this emerging litter stream and the issue is getting extensive media interest.

The results of this year’s Marine Conservation Society Great British Beach Clean highlighted a concerning high level of littered face coverings on almost 1/4 of Scottish beaches cleaned during the week-long event. The inland Source to Sea Litter Quest data supports these concerns, with 69% of litter picks across the UK finding discarded face coverings, as do the findings from the recent Keep Scotland Beautiful Clean Up Scotland community litter picks.

To help communicate anti-littering messages and encourage people to choose the reusable option, Zero Waste Scotland – in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful and the Marine Conservation Society – is launching the Reuse Beats Single-Use campaign on 10th November.

The campaign will be rolled out across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn for a five-week period, using the hashtags #YourHealthOurPlanet and #BinYourLitter across all digital channels.

Support the campaign by sharing the content and if you want to communicate it on your channels, download the material here!