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 come together to clear plastic litter from our beaches, beauty spots and streets, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

A staggering 7,330 people have already signed up, and there are 315 Pick Ups being held countrywide.

It’s so simple to join in and you can win amazing prizes that may make all the difference to your community. Here’s all 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

THINK your area could do with a spring clean? A Daily Mail team will scour photos sent in by The Great Plastic Pick Up groups and select three winners of this prize, worth £10,000. If you win, we’ll send professional cleaners to your area — and you can tell them what to clean.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

GO to greatplasticpickup.org and give your details. Anyone can get involved, though children should be accompanied by an adult.

The first 3,000 events to sign up will be sent 30 recycled bags for picking up plastic, plus we have 450,000 bags to distribute to councils across the country, so participants will be able to collect their Great Plastic Pick Up bags from their local council.

HOW DO I ORGANISE A PICK UP?

SIGN up on greatplasticpickup.org and work out where and when you want to hold your event.

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. 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:

n PLASTIC bottles and lids in the blue bags (with caps and labels); n METAL drink cans in the red bags; n EVERYTHING else into white sacks.

WHAT CAN’T I PICK UP?

NEVER touch syringes, broken glass or large fly-tipped items such as furniture; instead, tell your local council about them. Also, do not pick up litter near busy roads.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS?

THE organiser of each Pick Up should log the number of bags collected on

greatplasticpickup.org — then check the website for details of how to get them to your local authority’s recycling facility.

Next, proudly post your pictures on Twitter with the #GreatPlasticPickup hashtag, while group organisers can go back to greatplasticpickup.org to upload photos so they can be entered into the competition to win a professional spring clean.

WHERE WILL THE BAGS END UP?

n PLASTIC bottles will be recycled and made into new plastic items;

n METAL cans will be recycled and made into new cans;

n RUBBISH will be incinerated in a facility that generates electricity.