Don’t let your bus ticket become litter

Don’t let your bus ticket litter our Biosphere.

That’s the message from UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man and Bus Vannin.

Posters are appearing on buses urging passengers to dispose of their tickets in a responsible way after their journey is complete.

Adverts will also appear on the actual tickets from summer onwards, when the current batch of Bus Vannin tickets expires and new ones are printed.

The initiative has come from The Rubbish Group, which brings together those charged with dealing with litter and those who voluntarily work to prevent it, under the UNESCO Biosphere banner.

Clare Barber MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture and Vice-chair of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, said: ‘Assessing litter in areas on bus routes, the Biosphere team noticed many examples of discarded bus tickets.

‘Litter spoils our Island for residents and visitors alike, and can also get down drains and into waterways, harming wildlife.

‘There can be no possible justification for dropping litter. Everything should be recycled, where this is possible, or disposed of in a bin.’

Ian Bates, Head of Operations, Public Transport Division, said: ‘We are pleased to work with UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man to encourage passengers to dispose of their tickets carefully once they have travelled with us.’

The initiative complements messages on till receipts, adopted by retailers. To get involved in that initiative, email Biosphere@gov.im