Isle of Wight Council, with waste partners Amey, are pleased to be supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean (GBSC) again.
Now in its seventh year, the campaign takes place from 25th March to 10th April. It supports families, neighbours, friends and colleagues to join forces and pledge to pick up litter in order to protect our vibrant communities and precious wildlife habitats.
Bacon: Just one bag of litter collected can make a difference
Cabinet lead for environment, Heritage and waste management, Cllr Jonathan Bacon, said,
“I’m calling on our Island community to once again come together with us in our on-going campaign against fly-tip and littering by joining the #BigBagChallenge.
“This year the message is simple. Join GBSC’s #BigBagChallenge and pledge to pick up as much litter as you can – just one bag of litter collected can make a difference to our beautiful environment and we are happy to back this campaign, with our partners, Amey, by arranging the pickup of any waste collected.”
To date an amazing 94,523 bags have been pledged nationally on the GBSC Website.
Dix: IW has one of the lowest rates of littering in the South East
Natasha Dix, strategic manager, contracts, waste and environment, said,
“We know the Island has one of the lowest rates of littering in the South East, but we need your help to keep it that way.
“There are lots of ways to take part in the campaign. You might pledge to pick as an individual, or hold a litter picking event as part of a group or a school. You might pledge to pick up one bag of litter or several. As part of our own pledge to support the campaign and the groups participating, we will collect waste, through our partners, Amey, from litter picking activities from locations we will agree with groups in advance.”
Paul Southall, Account Director for Amey on the Isle of Wight, added,
“Amey are very happy to once again support the Great British Spring Clean by collecting all the waste picked up by volunteers.
“We all have a part in to play in keeping our communities clean, preserving our natural environment and reducing harmful flytip and litter.”
How to get involved
Register your litter pick on the Keep Britain Tidy Website and then contact us at [email protected] to let us know:
- your name or the name of your group
- a telephone number or email address we can contact you on
- the date, location and finishing time of the litter pick
Before your litter pick
By contacting us before your litter pick, we can arrange when and where to pick up your bags.
Please also complete a risk assessment – litter picks are generally very safe, but working through an assessment can help ensure that events run as smoothly and safely as possible.
Covid-19 – most legal restrictions have now ended or eased but If you have Covid-19 symptoms before your litter pick or have been in contact with anyone who has had symptoms, consider other people and follow current government guidance .
The day of the litter pick
Covid-19 – Please make sure to take some hand sanitiser to use before, during and after the event, with gloves being worn whilst completing the litter picks, or use a litter picker.
Try not to share your litter picker but if you have to, make sure you wipe it down with sanitiser before swapping with someone else.
Make sure volunteers know about health and safety risks, who is responsible for first aid, how to use the equipment, the route and timings.
Be considerate – don’t disturb animals, damage plants or remove natural ‘rubbish’ like logs, stones and weeds – they can be home to animals.
Make sure all volunteers, particularly children, are aware of what not to pick up, like drug related litter, for example. Please note the location and tell us instead online, by email at: [email protected] or by calling the councils waste services on (01983) 823777.
After the litter pick
Please tell us about the results of the pick – what quirky or unusual items you picked up, how much litter was collected, how many people were involved, and any pictures we can use to publicise the community’s hard work.
We would love to hear from you, please email: [email protected]
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
