Closed petition Tackle the nuisance and danger caused by smashed glass

Closed on 14 May 2012

Glass from bottles smashed by problem drinkers carpets many parks and paths across the UK, causing danger to children, serious nuisance to cyclists’ tyres, and generally increasing community anxieties. Glass shards quickly become distributed and are inherently difficult to cleanse, at a time when revenue to cleanse them is increasingly scarce. In contrast, plastic bottles and metal cans cause few or no injuries or damage, are easily collectable as refuse, and indeed are recyclable. Furthermore they are lighter, using less fuel and emitting less CO2 in transport.

The Government is already working with the alcohol industry to investigate measures to prevent the health-related harm caused by alcohol.

We the undersigned ask the Government to extend this work with alcohol manufacturers and retailers to ensure that a much higher proportion (and ideally all) of the cheap alcohol purchased by problem drinkers is packaged in plastic bottles or metal cans, and not glass.