Environmental charity, Hubbub, unveiled their innovative new ‘Trashconverter Van’ on Monday, May 15th, which has been designed to combat roadside and layby littering in the Forest of Dean.

Building on the success of last year’s Love Your Forest anti litter campaign, funded by Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Hubbub is exploring further creative ways of fighting the rubbish that plagues roads in the Forest.

This year’s campaign is supported by six partners: Hubbub, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Forest of Dean District Council, Foresters Forest, Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism and the Forestry Commission.

Hubbub’s Trashconverter Van will tour the Forest between May 15th and 28th, offering rewards in exchange for litter. With a packed schedule of visits, the Trashconverter will tour more than 20 littered laybys, schools, colleges and community events. Hubbub hopes to encourage residents, visitors and vehicle drivers alike to take their litter home with them.

The Trashconverter Van accepts trash not cash - members of the public can exchange litter for treats including fresh flowers, popcorn and hot drinks. The tour will include a community event on Friday, May 20th at Wenchford Picnic Site, in Blakeney. Hubbub will be hosting a range of family friendly activities between 12pm and 4pm to help spread the word, including arts and crafts and a special Love Your Forest pledge tree. The full Trashconverter schedule can be found online, www.hubbub.org.uk/trashconverter.

An installation by Michelle Reader, featuring 100 replica wild flowers made entirely from litter, will also be on display with the intention of reminding us what the forest floor should be covered in.

Polling by Hubbub reveals that 86% of people believe dropping litter is an anti-social behaviour, much like driving without a seatbelt or smoking in front of children. Yet while those other behaviours have virtually disappeared in recent years, one in five people admit to dropping litter consciously.

Cleaning up the area is expensive, costing the Forest of Dean District Council over £430,000 each year. A new government strategy launched in April takes a zero tolerance approach to littering and has introduced fines of up to £150 in a bid to tackle this growing problem. The strategy also shines a spotlight on new and innovative campaigns which use nudge theory and other behaviour change techniques.

Hubbub’s last Love Your Forest roadside litter campaign - ‘Communities’ - reduced litter by more than 30%, proving that innovative behaviour change campaigns really do make a difference.

Helen Fitt, a Forest of Dean resident said: “I am fortunate to live near one of the few surviving ancient woodlands in the UK, and it really angers me when I witness the damage caused by these careless individuals. I am delighted that organisations in the Forest of Dean joining forces to tackle this epidemic and I really hope people will stop and take notice – and take their rubbish home with them in future.”

The Forest of Dean is the first stop on what will hopefully become a national tour for Hubbub’s Trashconverter Van. The charity evaluates their initiatives to identify which deliver the greatest impact and then shares recommended approaches and templated resources with other like-minded groups and organisations to amplify impact.