Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Rubbish views: New campaign launched to tackle litter issues on Bennachie

Campaign launched to tackle rubbish left at Bennachie.
Campaign launched to tackle rubbish left at Bennachie.

A north-east conservation charity is bolstering its efforts to tackle the rubbish being left on one of Aberdeenshire’s most popular attractions, Bennachie.

In recent months the hillside and forest have been blighted by a minority of visitors who have left waste strewn across the landscape over the past 12 months.

Now, as lockdown prepares to ease, the Bailies of Bennachie group, which works to care for and protect the beauty spot, is launching a timely new anti-litter campaign to raise awareness of the problem.

Bailies trustee Alex Doig told the P&J: “There has been an increase in litter at Bennachie in the last year and with lockdown being lifted soon, it’s anticipated that it will increase even further.

“Just a few weeks ago, I walked around the forest and filled three quarters of an 80-litre bag with all sorts of rubbish – such as tin cans, glass bottles, medical gloves and plastic tubs – and this is quite worrying.

“Any behaviour change relies on people appreciating there is a problem in the first place, so raising awareness is the first and most vital part of changing things for the better.

“Protecting such beauty spots is of utmost importance.”

Bailies of Bennachie trustee Alex Doig and his dog, Margo.

It’s all about respecting the countryside, protecting it for future generations and allowing people to enjoy it.”

Over the next few weeks, volunteers will be working in collaboration with a number of organisations to build up their project – including Keep Scotland Beautiful, Zero Waste Scotland, the Bennachie Visitor Centre and local schools.

Mr Doig said: “We would like people to get involved, to make suggestions and tell us what they think, so we can really drum up the enthusiasm for it and get as many people looking after the hill as we can.”

The charity plans to create a new Jock O’ Bennachie story to provide a creative and educational resource for children, as well as adults.

In order to achieve greater impact, the Bailies will also take part in Keep Scotland Beautiful’s summer clean-up, which is taking place between May 28 and June 20.

Heather McLaughlin, campaign officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “It is reassuring that there are so many community groups across Scotland who are keen to stamp out litter and help keep Scotland beautiful and we are looking forward to working with the Bailies of Bennachie on their local anti-litter campaign.

“We ask everyone who plans to explore Scotland to do so responsibly, leaving no trace of their visit and so respecting, protecting and enjoying our stunning countryside.”

Bennachie, Aberdeenshire.

As part of the project, the Bailies have teamed up with Aberdeenshire Council, which is currently carrying out a survey of the main sites at the hillside and reviewing the existing bin areas in the surroundings.

An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said: “We support the Bailies of Bennachie with their anti-littering campaign and encourage the public to be responsible when visiting Bennachie and other beauty spots by following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

“We request that visitors leave no trace of their visit by taking away all litter and dog waste.

“If a bin is full, please take your litter away with you – litter left beside an overflowing bin is not only unsightly, but can be hazardous for wildlife.

“We will continue to work with communities, partner organisations and land managers across Aberdeenshire to welcome visitors to our countryside.”

Anyone who wishes to get involved in the campaign, can find further information on the group’s web page and contact the Bailies of Bennachie at outreach@bailiesofbennachie.co.uk.