Britain faces a significant litter problem with over 30 million tonnes of litter being discarded annually. This not only mars the appearance of our communities but also poses a threat to wildlife and comes with a hefty £1 billion price tag for cleanup efforts each year.
Fortunately, the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is reintroducing its Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean initiatives from 13-29 March. Hundreds of thousands of individuals are expected to participate in these events to help beautify our streets.
Since its inception in 2016 as a one-time event, the Litter Heroes have demonstrated their commitment to their local areas by collecting more than 4.5 million bags of trash from various locations such as streets, parks, fields, riverbanks, and beaches.
The Great British Spring Clean is scheduled to run from 13-29 March. Interested participants can register at keepbritaintidy.org, where they can pledge to collect any number of bin bags they desire. Whether as a group, individual, or school, all it takes is providing basic details like name, email address, and postcode, along with the number of bags intended for collection.
In the previous year, close to 400,000 volunteers engaged in the annual litter pick, filling approximately 462,000 bags with rubbish. Feedback from participants indicates that 95% believe their actions significantly improved their local environment.
Among this year’s advocates is civil servant Emdad Rahman, a Litter Hero Ambassador, who emphasizes the importance of education in instigating lasting change. His Little Litter League initiative encourages young people and families to take pride in preserving the environment through regular litter-picking sessions.
Joining Emdad are other dedicated individuals like Sarah Drakes from Nestlé Confectionery UK&I and Rob Edwards from KFC UK&I, who have been actively involved in supporting the Great British Spring Clean for several years.
The campaign has garnered support from various organizations, including Mars Wrigley, which funds the Chewing Gum Task Force to reduce gum litter across the nation. Through street cleaning and awareness campaigns, the initiative has achieved significant reductions in gum littering.
The Great British Spring Clean presents an opportunity for community members to contribute positively by pledging to collect litter starting from 13 February. Keep Britain Tidy’s CEO, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, commends the efforts of Litter Heroes in removing millions of bags of harmful litter and expresses gratitude to volunteers nationwide for their dedication.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, applauds the volunteers for their role in protecting the local environment, emphasizing the collective responsibility in preserving nature.
This year’s campaign is made possible by the support of People’s Postcode Lottery players, media partners Bauer Media Outdoor, Magic Radio, The Mirror, and collaborating partners KFC UK&I, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Pepsi Max, and Walkers. Additionally, the initiative extends to Wales (13-29 March) and Scotland (13 March-24 April) with the Spring Clean Cymru and Spring Clean Scotland events.