Litter picking dog charity aims to remove 44 million pieces of rubbish in 2026
Dog owners making an environmental New Year Resolution are hoped to boost the ranks of the Paws On Plastic charity to over 30,000 in 2026!
Article Source: Paws On Plastic
Last Updated: 5 January 2026 13:15
The environmental dog charity (SCO51306) encourages dog owners to pick up a couple of pieces of litter on every walk, every day, already removing over 42 MILLION pieces of litter a year from our streets, beaches, parks and countryside with currently 29,000 followers.
As New Year approaches and thoughts turn to New Year Resolutions, PAWS ON PLASTIC offers a simple commitment when walking the dog every day anyway, that requires only a minute or two’s effort & no extra equipment, it’s a super simple way one to make and KEEP that actually makes you feel good!
Founded in Stonehaven, NE Scotland, in November 2018 by Primary School Teacher, Marion Montgomery, PAWS on PLASTIC, continues to attract dog owners keen to play their part in fighting plastic pollution, attracting new members and followers on Facebook, Instagram, X, Bluesky & LinkedIn. Last month it also gained royal approval with award of the KING’S AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE 2025, the equivalent of an MBE, the highest award that a charity or voluntary group can receive in the UK.
“January can be a hard month for many people, and so many New Year Resolutions fall by the wayside,’ said Marion. ‘Picking up a few pieces of litter is such a simple but extremely positive thing to do when we’re out walking our dogs anyway. The thing most people don’t realise is just how good it is for mental health. It’s extremely empowering and satisfying to take a simple positive action that has such an immediate and visible impact. The simple fact is, if you love animals you don’t DROP litter as it hurts animals. We feel that we should also take that extra wee step to pick up a couple of pieces when we can. It’s a simple thing to do to protect dogs, wildlife and our precious environment from harm.
We are all busy nowadays and it’s often hard to find the time for things. The beauty of Paws on Plastic is that no extra time or effort is required as it only takes a minute to pick up a couple of pieces of litter as part of your everyday dog walking routine.”
“The strength of Paws on Plastic really is its simplicity. Dog owners are already out there walking our dogs every day. We see the litter and many of us unfortunately have experienced our dogs being injured by it, either eating something that’s been dropped or cutting paws on broken glass. As responsible dog owners, we all should have a spare bag in our pocket & it just takes a second to pick up a couple of pieces. With 29,000 of us, just picking up 2 pieces of litter on 2 daily walks, that’s 116,000 pieces a day, or over 42 MILLION a year although, most people pick up more as it is rather addictive! With over 12 million dogs in the UK alone, imagine the impact if we all did our own small bit. That’s the overall aim of Paws on Plastic – simply to make picking up a couple of pieces of litter a normal part of an everyday dog walk. We really have an enormous impact on areas where there are lots of us out every day as then it actually reduces the amount of litter dropped. Studies show that fewer people drop litter in clean areas so it has a double effect.”
Membership has spread to over 70 countries in 6 continents around the world, showing the worldwide desire among dog owners to do play their part. Dogs, like many animals, are naturally attracted to litter, with many picking up plastic bottles and cans. Once your dog has played with one, it’s up to you to dispose of it carefully. The charity does not recommend encouraging dogs to pick up litter although the idea came from dogs doing it naturally. So many animals are injured by litter. The charity encourages dog owners to pick up litter, including that left by irresponsible dog owners, to protect animals, communities and the environment.
Education on the consequences of litter is also one of the charity’s key aims. Marion regularly visits schools with her dogs, gives talks to community and youth groups, businesses and organisations and runs litterpicks and beach cleans for them.
PAWS ON PLASTIC also runs monthly beach cleans on Stonehaven Beach on the first Saturday of the month, 10-11am with the PLASTIC FREE STONEHAVEN community group of which she is also Lead. Since February 2023 the volunteers have removed well over 1 tonne of waste. The response from the community has been fantastic with families turning out in all weathers to do their bit for their local environment. There are reward cards for young volunteers and it’s great seeing the enthusiasm for environmental action.
(PLASTIC FREE STONEHAVEN is a community group which gained ‘Plastic Free’ status for the town from SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE in July 2024.)
To join Paws on Plastic, search on Facebook, Instagram, X, Bluesky and LinkedIn via the links below. You can also register for updates using the link on our website pawsonplastic.org.uk.
Members are responsible for keeping themselves & any accompanying companions safe. All pieces picked up are helping to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in the sea.
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