Martin Salter, Labour MP for Reading West has today signed House of Commons Early Day Motion (EDM) number 1634, Stop the Drop campaign against litter and fly-tipping.

The motion praised efforts by the Campaign for Rural England to clean up litter and fly-tipping in the countryside and called on local authorities to punish those responsible for littering.

Speaking from Westminster Mr Salter said:

“I was pleased to put my name to this motion, it is vital that we send the signal to those who fly-tip and litter generally that these actions are not acceptable. I am pleased to say that Reading Borough Council has a policy of prosecuting all fly-tippers that are apprehended in the borough, however, I think it is imperative that every local authority uses the full range of measures at their disposal as well as encouraging residents not to put up with fly-tipping in their area.”

The Early Day Motion also congratulates the government on its proposals to require supermarkets to charge for single-use plastic bags, which represent a large part of Britain’s litter problem, and asked Ministers to consider a scheme for depositing used drinks containers.

Mr Salter also commented on these proposals:

“I was delighted when the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in March that legislation would be introduced to impose a charge on carrier bags if sufficient progress was not made by supermarkets on a voluntary basis. This is an issue on which I have campaigned for some time. The Government’s proposals could lead to a 90% reduction of the number of plastic bags in circulation.”

He added:

“I also support the idea of having recycling bins on street corners for drinks containers and other items. This concept has already worked well in some UK cities such as London with newspaper recycling points in busy commuter areas. All these measures can help improve and preserve the appearance of the UK’s towns, cities and rural areas, as well as having a beneficial effect on the environment.”