ABOUT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE x CO-PRODUCTION x CROWD SOURCING
University of Gloucestershire has teamed up with Stroud District Council and Litter Free Stroud to unveil a groundbreaking project aimed at combating the pressing issue of litter in the
district’s rural areas. (2021 Census: 9.3 million people lived in rural areas (17.6% of thepopulation)).
The problematic phenomenon known as ‘fast-litter’—characterised by the packaging of takeaway food and drink carelessly discarded from vehicles—has become increasingly evident,
tarnishing the beauty of rural communities.
RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS VIA EMAIL HERE || and for PRESS or CONTACT: DR RICHARD COOK (Principal Investigator) rcook@glos.ac.uk
Why fast-litter?
In order to hold producers to account we have to be certain of the retail outlet fast-litter came from.
Only McDonalds sells McDonalds and it comes in their own branded packaging. For instance the logo and name branded clam-shell burger box for Big Mac. This is definitely only sold by McDonalds.
A can of beer or water bottle cannot be traced back to a retailer so we cannot hold a brand to account. For example, did the Evian or Highland Spring water bottle come from the petrol station, supermarket or fast-food outlet?
We can’t be certain.
Alongside this we are not concerned with fast-litter in urban areas. Urban areas are determined as settlements with populations of 10,000 or more, based on the 2021 Census.
Rural areas are everywhere else and will include rural towns, villages, hamlets, isolated dwellings and open countryside. (Rural areas make up 85% of the land area)
Also – we are focusing on car-based consumption because we believe that a new type of consumer behaviour is emerging.
This is the practice of buying food and drink from drive-through or retail outlets to eat on a journey and then tossing it out of the vehicle when it is no longer needed.
This happens away from source and often crossing district or other boundary markers. For example, we found a Taco Bell cup in Stroud – the nearest outlet was either Gloucester (15km) or Cheltenham (17km).
With some certainty, given it was found roadside, in the countryside, on an A road connecting Stroud to Gloucester/Cheltenham we felt confident this typified fast-litter.
Read this explainer here and please free free to share it: fast-litter explainer
But why focus on these popular brands?
It is because like us, they are concerned about litter. In their written evidence to the
committee inquiry on Plastic Waste (PW0023) they stated that
their teams carry out at least 3 litter patrols per day and by 2027 every piece of McDonald's waste will have a second life.
However they felt that litter and waste was the duty of local authorities and law enforcement and were concerned about the finacial costs for businesses and producers.
The money should be there though because fast food is profitable and growing. For example, McDonald's
2024 Companies House filings showed an after-tax £79 million profit (more than double that of 2023).
What is fast-litter?
We define fast-litter as:
Packaging that can be attributed to a specific retailer,
Has clear brand marking or identity,
A food and drink consumer-level product,
Found roadside in rural locations.
To classify fast-litter we have produced the following categories:
Fast-litter category 1 (FLC1)– vehicle access, specific retailer, clear brand marking, food and drink consumer product, rural location
Fast-litter category 2 (FLC2) – clear brand marking, food and drink consumer product, rural location
Fast-litter category 3 (FLC3) – food and drink consumer product, rural location
Our pilot study (Map extract below) established that fast-litter could be found at HOTSPOTS and along LITTER CORRIDORS.
Hotspots were places where we regularly found items over time.
Corridors were roads heading away from drive through or outlets that had items continuously along them.
Several misconceptions surround fast-litter that can be corrected. Firstly, fast-litter only occurs around the fast-food brand outlets – it does not.
Secondly, the scale of fast-litter is small – it is not. Thirdly, it ‘breaks down’ in-situ – it does not. Finally, brands, local councils or Government tackle it – they do not.
Fast-litter can be found far away from its point of purchase
Fast-litter has been found in large quantities across wide areas
Fast-litter does not ‘dissolve’ but breaks apart into smaller less observable pieces
Fast-litter is currently not the purview of brands, local councils or Government.
Conclusions
A new type of consumer behaviour is generating ‘fast-litter’
Fast-litter exists in large quantities
Fast-litter has been identified as consumer food and drink packaging dispersed in rural areas from vehicles
Fast-litter can be observed in waterways, ANOB, SSSI and Key Wildlife Areas.
The new phenomenon of fast-litter remains undocumented and under researched
The project’s initial findings reveal a concerning array of items tossed into verges and hedgerows, including vapes, water bottles, coffee cups and fast-food packaging, all of which detract from the countryside’s charm
while posing a threat to local wildlife.
At the project’s core is an AI-enabled mobile app and dashboard, designed by tech experts from University of Gloucestershire’s School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences.
The app enables communities to easily report fast-litter in rural hotspots, allowing Stroud District Council to analyse the data and uncover significant patterns.
Dr. Richard Cook, Principal Investigator at the University and a leading authority in environmental sociology, stated, “Fast-litter is a growing problem in rural areas.
As more fast-food brands offer drive-through options, we are seeing a marked increase in litter across the countryside.
“This partnership with Stroud District Council and Litter Free Stroud gives us the opportunity to understand the scale of the issue and use cutting-edge technology to support real change.
By introducing a new app, volunteer litter pickers simply need to photograph discarded items on their smartphone. This then logs the location and identifies the food brand that sold the item before
it became rubbish, providing valuable insights to guide policy and inform interventions.
“As the technology behind the app uses open source AI, there is also the opportunity to roll this scheme out nationally, or adapt it for different social causes.”
Growing evidence correlates the rise of fast-food
consumption and advertising with adverse childhood
health outcomes, including obesity. However, alongside
public health issues, another pressing problem has
emerged: fast-litter.
Specifically the discarded branded, on-the-go
disposable packaging from fast-food outlets. This form
of litter not only impacts urban environments but also
poses a threat to rural ecosystems and biodiversity.
Notably, fast-litter is not recorded in any national waste
dataset, creating a critical gap in our understanding and
management of this issue.
The consumption of on-the-go food has surged in recent years,
fuelled by the proliferation of disposable packaging and
drive-through facilities. There are over 41 million licensed
vehicles in the UK, further contributing to the ease of litter
dispersal.
Given that Cheltenham borders the Cotswolds Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB),
characterised by its rich biodiversity, the adverse
environmental consequences cannot be overstated.
Current national policy frameworks, such as the
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms, do
not specifically address branded fast-litter.
Volunteers in the region have collected nearly 750,000 pieces of
litter since 2023, indicating not only the volume of litter present
but also potential channels for branded packaging to enter
freshwater systems, ultimately threatening biodiversity and
water quality. Notably, rural and protected areas suffer
disproportionately from litter, despite their low population
density.
Environmental Sensitivity of Cheltenham’s Landscape
The Cotswolds AONB houses vital habitats, including limestone
grasslands and ancient woodlands. The health of these
ecosystems is at stake, as the presence of fast-litter can
significantly harm natural capital, biodiversity, and overall water
quality.
Market and Infrastructure Context
The UK is home to over 53,000 fast-food outlets, with major
chains like McDonald’s and KFC reporting substantial profits in
recent years. Unfortunately, existing policy mechanisms offer
limited accountability for these brands regarding the
environmental impacts of their packaging waste.
Recent pilot analyses in Cheltenham have unveiled critical patterns regarding fast-litter:
Identification of Litter Corridors: We have established links between clusters of fast-food outlets and mobility routes, underlining the significant role of vehicle access in litter dispersion.
Rural Hotspots: Areas with low infrastructure, such as secluded woodland edges and unlit roads, show a concerning accumulation of litter, revealing vulnerabilities in our rural landscapes.
Environmental Impact:Fast-litter is dispersing beyond the immediate vicinity of sales points, infiltrating rural and peri-urban environments.
Volunteers in the region have collected nearly 750,000 pieces of litter since 2023.
WHEN ASKED PEOPLE SAID..
THEY NEVER LITTER
A BIT OF LITTER IS OK
THEY EAT FAST-FOODS IN CARS
THEY BUY FROM DRIVE THROUGHS
