"Britain is becoming overrun with 'polite litter' - rubbish that has been arranged thoughtfully rather than recklessly, a study reveals. Scientists say polite litter has become a increasingly common sight on our streets, likely because it's deemed as more socially acceptable than chucking it on the floor. People are strategically placing their rubbish in hedges and flower baskets, on top of fuse boxes and bollards, and in other nooks and crannies."
"'Polite litterers choose not to throw litter on the ground, yet are not prepared to commit to carrying the item home, or at least until a bin can be found,' she said. 'In lieu of flagrantly throwing it on the ground, many of those observed chose to place their rubbish on structures, such as planting pots, bushes, fences, ledges and any other bin lookalike items nearby.'"
"A total of 1,143 littering events were recorded across all sites, categorised under three broad categories of intent - intentional, accidental and polite. She found polite littering accounted for almost half of littering events - 46.6 per cent - when not counting cigarettes. Together, polite littering and accidental littering (not counting cigarettes) accounted for the majority - 63 per cent. Litter tends to be placed politely on a 'non-bin receptacle'."
Over six years, observers recorded littering behaviour at two sites in London and in Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham. A total of 1,143 littering events were logged and classified as intentional, accidental or polite. Polite littering made up 46.6 per cent of non-cigarette events, and polite plus accidental incidents comprised 63 per cent of non-cigarette littering. Items were frequently left on ledges, hedges, fences, planting pots, salt bins and other 'non-bin receptacles'. Common reasons included absence of bins, full bins, or perceiving the arrangement as artistic or humorous. Cigarette butts were more likely to be dropped than other items.
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