THE MAIL’S GREAT PLASTIC PICK UP
FRIDAY MAY 11 – SUNDAY MAY 13
THE Mail is stepping up its war on plastic with The Great Plastic Pick Up – a weekend helping communities, schools, families and individuals to come together to clear plastic litter from our beaches, beauty spots and streets, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy. Wherever you live, you can make a difference by sparing a few hours to pick up litter and dispose of it safely. It’s so simple to sign up and you can win amazing prizes that could make all the difference to your own community. What’s more, if you are one of the first 3,000 people or schools to join, we’ll send you a special pack of recyclable litter bags to get you started – so act today. Here’s everything you need to know:
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
THE Great Plastic Pick Up will run from the beginning of Friday, May 11, to the end of Sunday, May 13. Communities will get together to pick up rubbish – with a specific mission to remove the plastic that poisons our streets, parks and public areas.
WIN A SPRING CLEAN FOR YOUR AREA
THINK your area could do with a spring clean – be it removing graffiti, planting flowers or powerwashing pavements? Sign up and you could be one of three winners of this incredible prize for your community, worth £10,000. A Daily Mail team will scour photos sent in by The Great Plastic Pick Up groups and select three winners. If you win we’ll send a team of professional cleaners to your area – and you can tell them what you want them to do.
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
JUST go to greatplasticpickup. org and sign up to organise a pick up or join one in your area. You need to provide your name, address and email, and anyone can get involved (though children should be accompanied by a responsible adult). Signing up allows you to download a comprehensive, step-by-step guide. The first 3,000 sign-ups will also be sent 30 special, 100 per cent recycled bags for picking up plastic. If you’re not one of the first 3,000, don’t worry. We have 450,000 bags to distribute to councils across the country, so you can still collect your Great Plastic Pick Up bags from there.
HOW DO I ORGANISE A PICK UP?
IT COULDN’T be easier. Just sign up on greatplasticpickup.org and work out where you want to hold your pick up. Now choose an hour or two at some point over pick up weekend – and you’re ready to go! On the website, you’ll be asked if your pick up is just for family, friends or neighbours, or whether you are happy for others to join in. A public pick up will appear as a pin on an interactive map on the home page. As we get closer to the pick up, people can click on your pin and sign up to join it.
HOW CAN I KEEP INFORMED?
FOLLOW the # GreatPlasticPickup hashtag on Twitter and keep an eye on developments in the Daily Mail.
WHAT WILL WE DO ON THE DAY?
GATHER at the set time, check in with the organiser and get picking! Grab any litter you see and simply put it in the correct bag:
Plastic bottles and lids in the blue bags (with caps and labels).
Metal drink cans go in the red bags.
Everything else into the white sacks. Other plastic must all go in the white bag, as only plastic bottles and cans are recycled in every region. We cannot mix or contaminate your other two bags with potentially non-recyclable plastics.
WHAT CAN’T I PICK UP?
NEVER touch syringes, broken glass or large fly-tipped items such as furniture – instead, inform your local council. Do not attempt a pick up anywhere near busy roads and fast-moving traffic.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS?
COUNT and photograph your bags. You can proudly post your pictures on Twitter with the #GreatPlasticPickup hashtag, while group organisers can go back to greatplasticpickup.org to log their bags and upload photos so they can be entered into the competition.
WHERE WILL ALL THE BAGS END UP?
THE greatplasticpickup.org website will tell you how to dispose of bags in your area.
Plastic bottles you collect will be recycled and made into new plastic items.
Metal cans will be recycled and made into new cans.
Rubbish will most likely be incinerated in a facility that generates electricity from waste (depending on your area, some might go to landfill).