As a holiday cottages company, we have proudly celebrated everything that’s wonderful about the UK’s natural landscapes for the past 30 years. We know we are lucky to have some of the world’s best coast and countryside on our doorstep – such as the giant peaks of the Lake District National Park, the sandy beaches of the South West and the tranquil waters of the Norfolk Broads – which is why we are passionate about helping you enjoy it for yourself.
It's more important than ever to raise awareness about protecting these landscapes that we all love so much, and we recognise that many of you want to holiday in more socially and environmentally responsible ways too. One of the easiest and most effective ways we can all do our part is by working together to Keep It Clean and Take It Home in order to respect the environment and reduce the visible effects tourism has on our natural landscapes.
How can you help?
Did you know that 80% of ocean litter comes from land?* Cups, gloves, takeaway food containers, cigarette stubs, plastic bottle lids and face masks are increasingly polluting our beaches, parks and public spaces. Almost a third of all litter found across the UK’s beaches over the Marine Conservation Society's Great British Beach Clean was from the public, whether left on the beaches, blown in off the street or carried by waterways to the coast.
One way we can all help the environment – and leave our landscapes better than when we found them – is to reduce the amount of litter left at our beauty spots, both in the countryside and the coast. Not only does littering spoil the natural beauty of these special places, but it has a devastating impact on the environment too if it gets into the food chain of our wild animals or ends up in the sea where it can degrade into harmful particles.
With more and more people wanting to visit our country’s most spectacular places, littering can become a problem unless we all take the responsibility to love where we live and where we stay. To protect the health of our ocean, we need to think about our actions on land. So, we’ve put together 5 helpful tips for reducing litter next time you’re exploring the UK.
Top 5 tips for reducing litter
- Pack reusable cutlery/cups/plates
- Buy food or products that do not come in any packaging e.g. fresh fruit
- If the bins are full or there are no bins, take your rubbish home with you – you could even pack a bin bag in your car to help with this
- Dispose of BBQs safely – find a designated bin or wait until they’re completely cool and take them home with you
- Take part in a 2-minute beach clean while out and about
Enjoy our remarkable landscape with a stay in one of our holiday cottages. You could even plan to take part in a beach clean or countryside litter pick during your break.
UK holiday cottages
For more information on the Marine Conservation Society’s work to bring an end to ocean pollution, please visit www.mcsuk.org
*From a 2016 Eunomia report: Plastics in the Marine Environment