Cambridge City Council has launched a new campaign to encourage residents and visitors to help keep Cambridge clean by putting rubbish in bins instead of littering.

Monthly prizes are on offer for residents and visitors who want to get involved.

Participants that want to get involved need to download the LitterLotto app, where they will be able to photograph and submit an entry each time they put litter in one of the many litter bins across the city. They will automatically be entered into a monthly prize draw where they could win £100 funded by fixed penalty notices or a £50 Love Cambridge gift card provided by the Cambridge BID. There will be two prize winners every month for entries within the city. They will also be automatically enrolled into the national prize draws managed by LitterLotto, offering a range of other prizes.

In 2022/23 there were 219 fixed penalty notices issued for littering in the city making it one of the most common environmental crimes in Cambridge.

There will also be a special prize draw every six months for Streets and Open Spaces volunteers who litter pick and are registered with the council to recognise their on-going efforts to look after the city.

Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment, said: “Littering is an issue in the city and one that can be difficult to manage if we don’t all do our bit.

“Working with LitterLotto allows us to reward those who help to keep the city tidy by putting their litter in the bin, as well as our dedicated volunteers who collect bags of litter at a time. I also hope that it will get those who do litter to think before doing so and get them to consider holding onto their rubbish a little bit longer until they reach their nearest litter bin or get home.

“Litter makes the city look untidy, costs money to clean up and is harmful to wildlife. Keeping Cambridge clean is a responsibility we all have, regardless of if you are a resident, a worker or a visitor.”

David Landsberg, Founder of LitterLotto, said: “If you had told me when we launched LitterLotto that in just 18 months we’d have given away hundreds of thousands of pounds in prizes and seen over 10 million pieces of litter binned through our app, I would have been blown away!

“It’s thanks to our fantastic partnering councils and the great work of their residents that we’re achieving such impressive results. Myself and the LitterLotto team are delighted to welcome our newest partner – Cambridge City Council.

“This is just the start…we've got so many new initiatives planned for the coming year and are excited to work with such a great city and help to keep Cambridge litter free, clean and green!”

Becky Burrell, Marketing Manager at Cambridge BID, said: “We are delighted to support the Litter Lotto campaign in Cambridge. We work on and deliver a range of projects that are designed to keep Cambridge clean and tidy, and the Litter Lotto campaign is a great initiative to encourage residents and visitors to take pride in their city. We all have responsibility to ensure the place that we visit, live and work in is a pleasant environment for all.”