David Sneddon unveils the campaign

Keep Britain Tidy claims youngsters are either too lazy to get rid of their rubbish properly, or too scared of looking "uncool" by using a bin in front of friends.

The environmental group is launching a major poster campaign with chart-topping Fame Academy winner David Sneddon.

Mr Sneddon is urging teenagers: "Get your act together, use a bin."

Director of Keep Scotland Tidy, John Summers, reckons the drive is the biggest breakthrough in combating youth litter since Lulu urged Scots to "think twice, keep it nice" back in the 1970s.

If I saw someone dropping a bit of litter I would go over and tape it to their forehead David Sneddon

Mr Summers said: "Teenagers are absolutely bombarded with messages about what to eat, drink and wear but hear very little about what they should do with their rubbish and so end up dumping it on the ground.

"This is a street-wise generation who want clear precise messages in a language they understand and from someone they respect and having David on board could help tip the balance and get kids to use a bin."

The posters will be placed on billboards in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Inverness, Stirling and Glasgow until the end of June.

The Fame Academy winner said he had jumped at the chance of fronting the campaign.

Atomic Kitten

"If it was up to me, if I saw someone dropping a bit of litter I would go over and tape it to their forehead," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

"It really winds me up."

While the campaign is targeted at youngsters, he stressed that people of all ages were guilty of dropping litter.

A similar campaign in England and Northern Ireland, which featured stars such as S-Club, proved a big hit with younger teens last year.

Almost all 13-16 year olds admit to dropping rubbish and say that their schools have significant litter problems.

A series of "designer bins" featuring posters of Atomic Kitten have also been trialled successfully in Manchester recently.

Mr Summers added: "Over the next few months we'll be reminding them that their litter injures over 6,000 animals a year and helped start over 14,000 outdoor fires in 2001."