Our outdoor spaces are more important to us now than ever before. We are once again proud to support Keep Britain Tidy and their Great British Spring Clean campaign to free our outdoor spaces from litter. Close to a million bags of litter were collected in the UK in 2019. Wealden District Council has supported this initiative for the past five years. In the past year alone, volunteer litter pickers in Wealden have been very active, collecting well in excess of 1,500 bags of litter.
This Spring, Keep Britain Tidy call on you to join their #MillionMileMission to clean up the country and show some love for those special places that helped us though lockdown. If 250,000 people pledge to pick up litter for 90 minutes each, a million miles of outdoor space would be covered – that’s to the moon and back twice!
In partnership with our waste contractor Biffa, we will support volunteers wanting to participate in the Great British Spring Clean. Together we will provide litter picking equipment and arrange collection of the litter you collect. If you would like to participate, please email us at springclean@wealden.gov.uk giving your name, address and the proposed area you would like to litter pick. Priority for new equipment will be given to any new groups volunteering and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Waste sacks and waste collection services are available to all groups.
Taking part is not only good for the environment, but for our mental and physical health too. Last year, 79% of people who took the Great British Spring Clean reported improved mood, and 51% said it encouraged them to move more. Whether you pledge to take part alone, with your families or bubbles, or with a group following COVID guidelines, it’s a great excuse to get outside. All you need is a litter picker, some gloves and a bag to collect your litter in.
For more information on how to help Keep Britain Tidy reach their a million mile mission, visit keepbritaintidy.org to pledge to support.
