KFC staff have been out and about in Penrith tackling litter as part of a new initiative.

Launched in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean, KFC says its latest litter initiative will look to improve the wellbeing and future of the local community it is a part of.

Following the bank holiday weekend, team members at KFC Penrith Bridge Lane took to the streets surrounding the restaurant to do a litter pick on Tuesday to mark both the launch of the Great British Spring Clean and KFC’s newest commitments to tackling litter.

Carolann Denne, KFC operations director for QFM Group, said she was excited about the new initiative and the ways that KFC is aiming to tackle the problem of litter.

She explained: “For quite some time KFC has wanted to do more in terms of litter. We know it is a massive issue throughout the UK.

“We’ve been working hard throughout lockdown. We ran a press campaign very early on to highlight how much of an issue this is across the UK.

“This was the first step in a wider strategy across the KFC system.”

Involved in the litter pick on Tuesday was Coun. Celia Tibble, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for environment.

She said: “I was delighted to join the KFC team, along with the Wombles from Penrith.

“It is very heartening to know that a national company is interested in finding local solutions to the problem of littering. I look forward to working with them again in the future.”

As part of these new initiatives, a dedicated mailbox has also been set up to answer issues and queries related to litter in the North-West, which will provide the local community with direct access there and then to deal with ongoing litter problems around KFC restaurants. In addition, KFC is also introducing internal training for its 28,000 team members to increase their knowledge of the environmental impact of litter.

Speaking about the amount of litter on the roads, Carolann continued: “You would be surprised at what you see. You can actually see people, within walking distance of a bin, instead of opting to put it in the bin they drop it out of the car window.

“I travel a lot with my job and very regularly I will pass by and see KFC litter quite some distance from the restaurants.

“Which signifies that it isn’t being put in bins, it is being thrown out of car windows.”

If anyone has an issue with litter they can email litter@kfc.co.uk