Moray Council is backing a national litter-picking campaign to help solve the problems thrown-away rubbish is causing in the region.
In 2017, taxpayers spent more than £10,000 cleaning up fly-tipping although issues with littering and dog fouling remain.
Now the local authority have thrown their weight behind Keep Scotland Beautiful’s national Spring Clean, which is part of the Clean Up Scotland campaign.
Moray Council is providing litter-picking equipment to those organising and taking part in picks in their area, and will dispose of the rubbish collected.
Council leader Graham Leadbitter praised residents taking part in Clean Up Scotland events in Moray.
He said: “A big thanks has to go out to all those organising and participating in litter picks. As a council we manage litter and street cleaning because it has an impact on our community.
“Not only is it unsightly, but it can impact on our environment and our health. It can sometimes feel like a never-ending challenge but we put thousands of hours each year into keeping Moray beautiful.
“In reality though, it’s everyone’s responsibility and there’s no excuse for littering as we have more than 1,300 litter and lay by bins in Moray. If you’re out and about and not near a bin – please take your rubbish home.”
The Scottish Government is set to introduce tougher action on littering from vehicles as part of the Circular Economy Bill.
The new legislation being brought forward will make it an offence to litter from vehicles.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead is backing the bill, and said: “Moray is a beautiful area but roadside litter is a real problem that is both unnecessary and unsightly. We’re lucky to have some dedicated volunteers locally who organise litter picks, collecting the rubbish that others leave behind, but they shouldn’t have to give up their time to clean up this mess.”