Costa makes Litter Prevention Commitment with #costacleanup

More than 1,900 Baristas were on hand to help with the ‘Big Tidy Up’, England’s biggest litter-picking campaign launched by Keep Britain Tidy, with progress tracked on Twitter using #costacleanup.

Costa has become the first coffee shop brand to sign Keep Britain Tidy’s Litter Prevention Commitment, which seeks to raise awareness of the social, economic and environmental impact of litter, and encourage responsible consumer behavior to reduce the amount of litter dropped.

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “No one organisation can solve the problem of littering in this country on their own. It is only by communities, businesses and charities working together that we can change the littering behaviour of the minority that costs us the best part of £1bn a year to clean up.

“Costa’s sponsorship of The Big Tidy Up will allow us to continue supporting those people who don’t just want to live in a clean and tidy place but who want to do something to make that a reality, for them and for everyone else.”

Since 2008, the Big Tidy Up has collected more than 12,000 bags of litter from England’s streets. Last year, the event collected just under 4000 bags with the help of over 30,000 volunteers.

Our Costa team are litter picking today to help @KeepBritainTidy & are doing a great job! #CSR #costacleanup pic.twitter.com/hBagFqwaZK

— Whitbread PLC (@WhitbreadPLC) September 11, 2015

Green teas

Costa will sponsor the Big Tidy Up campaign for the next 12 months. Signing the Litter Prevention Commitment is the latest in a line of sustainable goals set by the firm.

In July, Costa announced plans to build a new £36m eco-friendly coffee bean roastery to cope with growing UK demand. In May it became the first café business in the UK to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), after being named a ‘Two Star Sustainability Champion’ by the organisation.

The company has also been shortlisted for a Sustainability Leaders Award under Energy Management in edie’s very own RSA-accredited Awards. In 2014, Costa-owner Whitebread won the Sustainability Leader Award for Water Management.

Hungry for change

Costa is the latest in a line of major food companies to sign up to tje Litter Prevention Commitment.

Last month, McDonald’s and Wrigley supported Keep Britain Tidy’s Litter Manifesto, calling on the Government to tackle the UK’s £1bn litter problem. Fast food chains KFC and Dominos Pizza, along with Coca Cola Enterprises, are also signed up to the Commitment in light of the announcement that fast food littering increased by 20% in 2014.

Keep Britain Tidy has also worked with Westminster City Council, environmental charity Hubbub and cleaning specialists Veolia to reduce the amount of chewing gum and cigarette butts littering the streets, using a range of particularly innovative measures. 

Matt Mace