I’m joining the Mail’s war on plastic waste for my children
IT should be the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle and commune with nature.
But the woods behind Caroline Laybourn’s home are strewn with rubbish left by fly-tippers – and now she’s had enough.
The social worker is among the many who have been inspired to organise a plastic pick-up after readnig about the Daily Mail’s campaign.
The mother of three, who also has one grandson, will be joined by her husband and friends this Sunday.
She hopes the group will reach her target of collecting at least three bags of rubbish.
The 55-year-old often finds bags of discarded rubbish while walking near her home in Warren Hill, Nottinghamshire.
‘We have access to Bestwood Woods from the back of our house and we find litter quite often, like bags of dog poo left by their owners,’ she said.
‘A while ago there was a really huge dump of rubbish. There were TV boxes and loads of household waste. I have no idea at all who did it.’
She added: ‘On Sunday at 10am we are going to go out with our bags. I am environmentally conscious. We need to do this for our children and grandchildren as well.’ There is still time to sign up to the Mail’s Great Plastic Pick Up, which runs from this Friday to Sunday.
Communities across the country are pitching in to help tackle the plastic menace poisoning the country. So far 11,518 people have signed up to take part, with 846 organised pick-ups.
To join in, go to greatplasticpickup.org and enter your details.
Groups from one person up to those 100- strong can register, with children welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
A Daily Mail team will judge photographs sent in by the Pick Up groups and select three who will win a professional spring clean for their local area that is worth £10,000.
WHERE DO I GET MY RUBBISH BAGS?
The first 3,000 events organised will be sent 30 recycled bags to use for collecting plastic, with an additional 450,000 Pick Up bags available for collection from local councils.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
Simply gather at the arranged time, check with the organiser and get picking! Plastic bottles and lids go in the blue bags, with caps and labels, metal cans are for the red bags, and anything else is for the white sacks.
WHICH ITEMS SHOULD I NOT PICK UP?
Never touch syringes, broken glass or large fly-tipped items – instead, tell your council. Steer clear of busy roads.
HOW CAN I KEEP INFORMED?
Follow the #GreatPlasticPickUp hashtag on Twitter, check greatplasticpickup.org to see a map of Pick Ups across the country, and stay up to date in the Daily Mail.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Organisers should log the number of litter bags on greatplasticpickup.org.
WILL MY LOCAL SCHOOL WIN A TRIP WITH CHRIS PACKHAM?
This is the prize for children and teachers in the top litter-picking school – an allexpenses-paid trip to a Sea Life Centre with TV host and wildlife expert Chris Packham to see some of the marine life you will have helped.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LITTER?
Plastic bottles will be recycled, as will aluminium cans, where possible. Other litter, including single-use plastic such as crisp packets, which cannot be generally recycled, will go into the residual waste stream. Many councils now use waste-to-energy rather than landfill for residual waste.