The Royal Parks charity has launched a Summer of Kindness campaign to combat unprecedented levels of litter being left by visitors.

A total of 42 tonnes of litter were collected in Richmond Park in June - a shocking 644% rise on the 5.64 tonnes that were collected in June 2019.

Staff and volunteers from the Friends of Richmond Park charity spent 1,200 hours tackling the scourge of waste.

A video was released by Royal Parks showing a stag with an inner tube stuck in its antlers as a sad example of what can happen when people dump rubbish in the park.

What Royal Parks said

The Royal Parks has welcomed increased numbers of visitors to the parks during the peak of the pandemic, providing a boost to physical and mental wellbeing.

However, now groups can gather, park managers have reported never-before-seen levels of littering on the grass every day, including plastic bags, pizza boxes, glass bottles, picnic items and PPE – there was even some office furniture and a Christmas Tree left in Kensington Gardens – with trash levels increasing on warm evenings and over sunny weekends.

This is despite increased numbers of bins in place, more frequent emptying to accommodate greater volumes of rubbish, and staff starting sometimes as early as 5am to ensure the parks are pristine when the majority of visitors arrive.

Plastic waste can get worked into the ground, plastic bags can blow onto waterways harming waterfowl, and wildlife can ingest items causing them pain or even death. Unsightly litter spoils the parks for others and is a strain on the charity's resources.

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Summer of Kindness

As we head into the summer holidays and more hot weather is predicted, a campaign has been launched to inspire visitors to care for the 5,000 acres of historic green spaces across the eight Royal Parks in London.

Director of Parks Tom Jarvis said: "It's been truly fantastic to see more people enjoying our parks and getting closer to nature for a spot of R&R, to keep fit or to spend time with family and friends in the fresh air.

"We've had lots of really nice messages from people thanking us for keeping the parks open and telling us how the parks have been a lifeline for them, particularly for those without gardens,

"But the downside is the litter. We've never seen anything like this before. Every day we wake up to unprecedented levels of litter, with PPE, pizza boxes, plastic bags and picnic scraps strewn all over the grass. And we fear the worst is yet to come, with another spell of hot weather on the way.

"So we're asking everyone who visits the parks for a bit of help to spread some kindness this summer and help us look after the environment. Binning litter or taking it home will keep the parks beautiful."

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