Scotland’s litter league of shame – every council area ranked from filthiest to cleanest

The state of our streets vary massively across the country.

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Scotland is facing a litter crisis with the country recording twice as much rubbish discarded in the street as a decade ago. According to Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), 8.3% of locations across the nation are considered badly littered.

But the state of our streets vary massively across the country. Litter peaked during the Covid pandemic with the places with a “significant presence of litter” reaching 10%. In 2020, bin strikes saw rubbish pile up in Glasgow while Edinburgh faced a similar scenario during the festival in 2022.

According to the Scottish Daily Express, the issue is “significantly worse” in deprived areas, while litter was “more frequently observed” in urban areas with 15.1% of high density residential areas being badly littered, according to KSB’s annual report into the issue.

Over 40% of litter in Scotland is related to smoking with 15.5% being paper related. Drinks related litter accounted for 11.9% while confectionary was 11.3%. Fast food was 5%, vaping 2.3%, and dog fouling 0.7%. The vast majority of litter, over 70%, is dropped by pedestrians. KSB has called on political parties to make littering a major issue at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.

The issue is “significantly worse” in deprived areas, while litter was “more frequently observed” in urban areas with 15.1% of high density residential areas being badly littered, according to KSB’s annual report. Over 40% of litter in Scotland is related to smoking with 15.5% being paper related. Drinks related litter accounted for 11.9% while confectionary was 11.3%. Fast food was 5%, vaping 2.3%, and dog fouling 0.7%.

The vast majority of litter, over 70%, is dropped by pedestrians. KSB has called on political parties to make littering a major issue at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.

The report states: “We have an opportunity to ensure that the next Scottish Parliament prioritises tackling litter and reducing waste and makes significant and sustained financial investment to do so.

“Alongside polling data which shows just how embarrassed people are about the littered states of their communities, the data in this report will be used to evidence the need for systematic change in the way we view litter – not as something we tolerate and isn’t important – but as something unacceptable, and far more indicative of the disconnection people have from places they should value.”

Scotland’s most littered region

The figures are based on the percentage of sites where there is either a “widespread distribution of litter with minor accumulations,” or areas that are “heavily littered with significant accumulations”. The other areas are considered to be free of litter or “predominantly free of litter”.

1. Clackmannanshire – 17.6%
2. Dundee – 16.8%
3. West Dunbartonshire – 15.2%
4. Glasgow – 13.7%
5. Falkirk – 13.4%
6. West Lothian – 12.5%
7. Midlothian – 12.3%
8. East Dunbartonshire – 11.6%
9. Edinburgh – 10.8%
10. Aberdeen – 10.7%
11. North Lanarkshire – 9.9%
12. North Ayrshire – 9.7%
13. Stirling – 9.1%
14. Inverclyde – 8.9%
15. Renfrewshire – 8.3%
16. South Ayrshire – 7.7%
17. Western Isles – 7.6%
18. East Ayrshire – 7.4%
19. East Lothian – 7.4%
20. South Lanarkshire – 7.1%
21. Angus – 5.9%
22. Aberdeenshire – 5.3%
23. East Renfrewshire – 5.1%
24. Argyll and Bute – 5.0%
25. Fife – 4.7%
26. Highland – 4.1%
27. Dumfries and Galloway – 3.6%
28. Scottish Borders – 3.6%
29. Shetland – 3.6%
30. Perth and Kinross – 3.5%
31. Orkney – 0.6%