Members of City of York Council's Neighbourhood Pride Service team have a rather unusual wish for the festive season - they're hoping to rid the city of fast food litter as part of a national campaign to stamp out on unsightly street waste.

The team will be contacting take-away outlets across the city to ask them to support the campaign by managing the waste generated by their customers, and displaying posters reminding people to dispose of their litter responsibly.

They will also be awarding some of the best 'litter busting'  businesses with a bronze, silver or gold awards, in recognition of their hard work.

The campaign is being supported by the ENCAMS (formerly the Keep Britain Tidy Group).  York has been chosen as one of 10 authorities in the country to help relate the anti-litter message in the run up to Christmas.  The campaign is targeting young people, who ENCAMs report, are one of the main culprits for dropping this type of litter, particularly after a night on the town.

Jackie Armitage, manager of the council's Environment and Enforcement team, said: "Fast food litter is a national problem and though we recognise that many take-away outlets work very hard to manage litter created by their customers, others do not take such a responsible approach. This campaign aims to reward businesses that are doing well, while reminding other outlets and customers to take litter more seriously."

York's student community is also on board with the campaign. With the University of York, the University of York St John and York College all supporting the campaign.

The council's Environment and Enforcement team will also be carrying out night time enforcement action against litterers, working with the police to combat antisocial behaviour and littering.