People asked not to use Paddington toys or other non-floral tributes to Queen

People leaving tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II have been asked not to leave Paddington Bear soft toys, marmalade sandwiches, and to remove the wrapping from flowers in an effort to make the tributes more sustainable.

The announcement by the royal parks, the charity is in charge of 2,024 hectares (5,000 acres) of royal land across London, came after thousands of people left tributes after the death of the Queen.

In a statement posted on its website, the royal parks said it would “prefer visitors not to bring non-floral objects/artefacts such as teddy bears or balloons” to the dedicated tribute site in the Green Park.

The charity also said it would like visitors to be mindful about whether their tributes were environmentally sustainable, adding: “Any form of floral tribute is acceptable. In the interests of sustainability, we ask visitors to only lay organic or compostable material.

“The public will be asked to remove all wrapping from floral tributes and place these in the bins provided. Removing the wrapping will aid the longevity of the flowers and will assist in subsequent composting which will start between one week and a fortnight after the date of the funeral.”

The charity added that lit candles were also not permitted, and that tributes would remain until all ceremonial activity had taken place.

The tributes to the Queen in the form of Paddington Bear toys and marmalade sandwiches came in response to her filming a sketch with the popular children’s character, as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations, which took place earlier this year.

Paddington Bear’s official Twitter account paid tribute to the Queen on Thursday, posting: “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.”

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On Monday, formal plans for how the public can pay their respects to the Queen were announced, while her coffin lies in state inside parliamentary grounds from Wednesday until next Monday, the day of the funeral.

Queues are expected to form for those who wish to view the coffin, with it being predicted that up to 750,000 people may wish to attend.