The UK’s “most used” environmental reporting service Love Clean Streets has clocked up one million interactions using its app, which allows members of the public to interact with waste and environmental service providers.
On average, 28,829 reports are made through Love Clean Streets every month, covering a variety of environmental issues from fly-tips to dog fouling, and now this total has reached one million.
The app has been in use by the public and local authorities since 2010, but has become more popular in the last year.
Ian Blackburn, Founder of Love Clean Streets, explained the reasons for this rise. He said: “Reports have increased due to both an increase in public awareness of the app, but also because local authorities understand the importance of providing a range of innovative ways for citizens to engage with them, other than just calls centres. Local authorities have also become more aware of the cost savings that can be made and many want to get involved.”
The one millionth interaction was a report recorded in London and was made by Clean Islington app user, Sarah Prior. Sarah reported a fly-tip in her local street in Islington, which was cleared after hitting the send button on her smart phone.
Sarah said: “I started using the app when I found out from my street supervisor that it existed. It is easy to use and gives me confidence that the problem is being dealt with. I would absolutely recommend this to people to use when reporting any environmental issues in their town.”
Ian Blackburn added: “When I first developed the app, I knew what I wanted to achieve but I didn’t know that it would soon be responsible for so many environmental reports across the UK. This is an achievement for both local residents who are saving time making the reports, but also local authorities which are able to cut down their workloads and save money by using the app.”
James Gilchrist, Islington Council’s Head of Environmental services, said: “Keeping the streets as clean as possible is a key priority for us and the Clean Islington app helps us to stay on top of it.
“We share our residents’ frustration with fly-tippers, and this app helps unite us all in the battle to stamp out the scourge. It has been really well-received and is easy to use – we are pleased to hear that the resident was happy with our service.”
Richard McIlwain, Deputy Chief Executive at the national charity Keep Britain Tidy, said: “I want to congratulate Love Clean Streets on its one million interactions with local authorities and residents across the UK. Litter remains a huge issue that affects people and wildlife across the country. Love Clean Streets is a fantastic way to help keep your local area clean and tidy, which counts towards keeping the whole country tidy. Just making one report can make a huge difference to where you live, I urge people to sign up and do their bit to keep Britain tidy!”
An interaction with Love Clean Streets could be a report made by an individual or a message back from their local council.
To find out more visit www.lovecleanstreets.com
