Showing pride in our places: North East Lincolnshire Council supports residents pledging to pick one bag of litter for charity’s Great British Spring Clean campaign.
North East Lincolnshire Council is today encouraging residents and businesses in the area to pledge to do their bit to clear up the litter that blights the borough during the Great British Spring Clean 2023.
This year’s mass campaign, from 17 March to 2 April, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep – and the charity is keen to stress litter picking can be accessible to everybody with the right resources.
The Council is calling on residents to show pride in their area by pledging on Keep Britain Tidy’s website to pick a bag or more of litter, helping make a huge difference to the environment.
In 2022, the Council supported 75 litter picks where amazing volunteers collected a staggering 6.98 tonnes of litter.
So far this year, the Council has supported 26 litter picks where volunteers removed 2.495 tonnes of litter from parks, streets and woodlands.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at NELC, said:
“I’m grateful to everyone who gives up their time to help tidy the places they care about.
“The Great British Spring Clean is a fantastic opportunity to get together with family, friends or colleagues and do a bit of litter picking.
“Even a few minutes of litter picking will help stop rubbish polluting the town and making its way into waterways and the sea.
“Litter picking is good for the environment and your wellbeing. No matter how big or small your contribution, it all makes a difference.”
Please let us know if you are planning a litter pick. We are here to help. Complete the Voluntary Group Litter Pick form online at www.nelincs.gov.uk/litter-picks to let us know your plans.
Civic pride
As well as being good for the environment, after the 2022 campaign, 85% of people who took part said they felt more pride for their local area.
A post campaign survey of participants also shows 71% agreed that they feel more a part of their local community and 69% agreed that they are more aware of the litter issues in their local area.
As well as polluting our streets, parks and beaches, litter harms wildlife, domestic pets and cattle, and costs the authority a staggering £1.5-million a year to clean up.
The Great British Spring Clean, now in its eighth year, saw people up and down the country come together last year to clean up nearly half a million bags of litter.
This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to media partner Clear Channel, as well as supporting partners KFC, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Mars Wrigley, Coca-Cola, Walkers and Pepsi MAX. We also thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising funds to support this campaign.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said:
“The Great British Spring Clean simply would not be possible without the backing of our local authority partners.
“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from North East Lincolnshire Council and residents.
“Now into its eighth year, the Great British Spring Clean is a fantastic way for people to really show their pride in where they live, and connect with like-minded residents, while taking serious and immediate action to protect the environment on their doorstep.
“During this year’s campaign, we are calling on everyone to show #PrideinPlace and help us harness the power of collective environmental action by taking on the #BigBagChallenge. It’s inspiring to see so many councils have made a commitment this year to support this vital call to action to protect our environment.
“Local Authorities play a critical role in engaging and supporting volunteers on the ground. North East Lincolnshire can feel proud to see their armies of #LitterHeroes volunteers carrying out these acts of kindness to make their town a cleaner, safer place for our future generations.”
Pledge to get involved today at www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean and support us on social media with the hashtag #GBSpringClean and #BigBagChallenge
Equipment
To get started, we recommend you use a litter picker and some gloves as a minimum. We also recommend wearing a high-vis bib or jacket.
You will also need a bag to put the litter in and a hoop can help keep your bag open. Please also use hand sanitiser and wash your hands regularly.
We have a limited number of litter picking kits you can borrow on a first come, first served basis.
Please let us know when and where you are planning your litter pick. If you are picking up a large amount of litter, contact us in advance. We can supply bags and we will arrange to collect it from an agreed location. Let us know at www.nelincs.gov.uk/litter-picks
If you collect a small amount of litter and recycling, you can put it in your bins at home.
Where possible, please separate the litter you find into two bags so as much as possible can be recycled: Plastic bottles and aluminium cans in one bag and general waste in the other.
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