The latest phase of the campaign reached 357,516 students from 546 schools across 15 countries and marks changes in students’ perceptions and behaviour about litter.
In September 2018, the Litter Less Campaign will enter its eighth year and since its inception has engaged over 2 million students around the world.
The Litter Less Campaign is a joint initiative between the Wrigley Company Foundation and Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that aims to educate young people about the issues surrounding litter, to encourage them to make positive waste disposal choices, and to inspire them to engage their communities in anti-litter activities.
The main objectives of the Litter Less Campaign are to:
- Raise awareness of how litter and waste affect the local environment
- Improve the way students and schools approach waste management
- Give young people the knowledge and practical skills to prevent and manage litter
- Provide students with a platform to report on litter issues in their communities
- Encourage collaboration and the sharing of best practices between schools
- Involve the local community to actively address the issue of litter
The Wrigley Company Foundation and FEE have already completed seven successful years of collaboration through the Litter Less Campaign. The latest phase of the campaign, from September 2017 to September 2018, reached 357,516 students from 546 schools across 15 countries through the Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programmes.
“The Wrigley Company Foundation is proud of the positive transformation that has occurred in schools and communities around the world through the Litter Less Campaign. Teaching students to be leaders and to work to change littering behaviour and improve their communities is the strength of the programme,” says Anne Vela-Wagner, Executive Director of the Wrigley Company Foundation.
An overall evaluation of the campaign’s impact indicates students’ awareness, knowledge and behaviour has grown by over 10%. This is a very significant educational improvement considering the Litter Less Campaign is a relatively condensed and inexpensive project for schools to implement. During the past year of the campaign, we documented positive change in Eco-Schools students’ awareness of litter and waste issues in 30% of the population, when compared with control students. Additionally, positive change in YRE students’ knowledge about waste production, fate and recycling improved by 21% when compared with control students.
“The Litter Less Campaign is a textbook example of how positive collaboration between the corporate world and a respected NGO can realize a shared vision. We highly appreciate the long-term partnership with the Wrigley Company Foundation and we are extremely grateful for the possibility of moving the Litter Less Campaign forward. Their strong commitment and support cannot be taken for granted,” adds CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education Daniel Schaffer.
