This body of work focuses on the concept of ‘litter’, a relatively recent phenomenon that has a significant impact on our everyday experience. We need to recognise our double standards, as well as changes in philosophy. During the past sixty years we have moved from a governmental instruction to ‘make do and mend’ to ‘a throw away society’. This ethic has penetrated our society by stealth, affecting our everyday life.  ‘Friends of the Earth’ who campaign for solutions to environmental problems claim that: ‘Our throw away society is damaging the environment, wasting precious resources and creating an expensive rubbish mountain’. Estimates show that Local Authorities in England spend between £300m and £500m of public money each year on street cleaning and litter clearance.

The Keep Britain Tidy campaign found the worst perpetrators to be pedestrians or drivers, causing 91% of litter.’ The ‘UK Commission for Integrated Transport’ confirms that people who drop litter from their car would not drop litter in any other environment. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs state in a recent report that there has been an increase in litter linked to fast food, alcohol and non-alcoholic drink containers. These statistics provided the rationale for the decision to focus on litter. This study documented Old Canal Road, a former section of a city centre road replaced by an urban motorway, only used during the week for free parking and as a pedestrian short cut.

The images selected document items that have been casually dropped, discarded without a second thought over a period of six months. These hold no meaning for the person concerned who is in reality helping to create the ‘rubbish mountain’. People may chose to ignore ‘litter’ without appreciating the personal impact on our lives in terms of finance, health and environmental consequence

Portfolio available in PDF format
Podcast available on iTunes