This is the campaign slogan for KFC who have joined forces with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy to reduce the amount of litter being thrown onto UK streets.
A new marketing campaign interestingly titled #don’tbeatosser, will see Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Keep Britain Tidy and three local councils team-up to remove litter from our streets. KFC say they are committed to tackling the growing problem of litter and have made a pledge to help keep local areas tidy – especially those close to the brand’s many UK restaurants.
In partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, this ‘spring clean initiative’ will see more than 3,000 team members from KFC outlets undertake an ambitious project to collect over 20,000 bags of litter. These men and women will be supported by litter picking groups around the country, as well as many local councillors.
Jenny Packwood, the chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer for KFC, told Elite Franchise magazine: “As people spend more time outside their homes, soaking up the warmer weather, the impact of litter across high streets, retail sites, parks and other green spaces in the UK becomes more noticeable. This, in turn, will make it an eyesore for local communities.
“This commitment includes the creation of a £40,000 fund to support and equip local litter picking groups in their efforts to tidy up local areas. This will be distributed by Keep Britain Tidy as we trial new ways to tackle litter louts.
“We also include a commitment to partner with three local councils across the UK to find new ways of tackling littering. There will be marketing messages and the creation of new concept rubbish bins. We aim to raise awareness of the litter problem and encourage everyone to be more mindful about how they dispose of their litter. This will include the erection of 15-foot banners at restaurants across the UK, brandishing the slogan #Don’tBeATosser.”
In addition to this, KFC will be introducing daily litter collections at its 900 restaurants, as well as creating a dedicated mailbox to answer issues and queries relating to this problem. People will be able to report litter problems around KFC restaurants and they will be dealt with promptly by members of the franchise teams.
The company will implement internal training for its 28,000 team members, to increase their knowledge of the environmental impact caused by litter which is simply tossed onto UK pavements and roads every day. Jenny Packwood added: “Litter carries a long-term cost to the community and to the environment. We take our responsibility to tackle litter seriously and want to be part of a longer-term solution to reduce the impact in all communities.
“But tidying up our local communities isn’t just a one-off event. With the launch of our new fund, which will assist local litter picking groups, not to mention our partnerships with local councils, we will aim to toss the UK’s litter problem in the dustbin of history, once and for all. And with Easter now upon us, and the weather getting warmer, this is the perfect time to join forces with Keep Britain Tidy to make our outdoor spaces litter free.”
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of litter charity Keep Britain Tidy, explained: “Through our new grant scheme, funded by KFC and administered by Keep Britain Tidy, we’ll provide some of the much-needed kit to support local litter-picking groups. Together with KFC we will hopefully encourage people to be more mindful of how they dispose of used packaging.”
About KFC:
In 1952 Colonel Harland Sanders opened the first KFC restaurant in Utah. Today there are more than 900 KFC restaurants across the UK and Ireland alone. The company claim they use chickens which have been reared to strict welfare standards and in 2019 KFC signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, which is a set of six criteria designed to improve the lives of all chickens within the KFC supply chain by 2026. There are currently 27,000 people employed by KFC which was the first restaurant to launch an honours degree.
For those who want to get in touch with KFC’s litter mailbox, to share issues and queries relating to litter around their restaurants, please contact: [email protected].
