Litter Thugs clean up city beaches, streets
One man’s bid to tackle dumping inspires a growing group
Using his pet hate as the inspiration behind his do-gooder gang, East London local Josh Kirkhoff has assembled a band of “thugs” to clean up the city’s streets.
He established the Litter Thugs a year ago with a team consisting of his family, but it has now grown to include more than 20 members who organise regular cleanups around East London every two weeks.
“I wanted to use my pet hate, litter and litterbugs, and turn it into an initiative to spread awareness. It’s really disappointing to see trash on our beautiful beaches, in the parks and on our streets,” said Kirkhoff, who has done countless solo and small group cleanups with family over the past year.
“Due to Covid-19 I am unable to work in the Middle East at the moment, which has given me time to reach out and work on my passion to clean East London and spread the word.”
He said the group strongly believed that actions spoke louder than words and hoped their actions would motivate the public to join in and inspire a cleaner city.
“We have grown into a small community of like-minded individuals who regularly clean up spaces around the city. One aim of the cleanups is to inspire others to do the same.
“Dumping is a huge problem in East London. When more people become aware of the litter issue, litter bugs will reduce in numbers, and the Litter Thugs gang will grow.”
While more volunteers join in on occasion, the team now comprises 26 devoted “thugs”, who have been actively picking up trash together since June.
So far, they have picked up dozens of bags from areas including Quigney, Gonubie and Nahoon beaches, and Stirling.
“We are 100% open to people joining our organised cleanups and, this is the aim.
“People do volunteer, but there is a group of amazing individuals that have participated at each cleanup and the gang is growing,” said Kirkhoff. He said while his job required him to be in Qatar for six weeks on and off, the Litter Thugs were here to stay, lockdown or not.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to work this year, but I got back from Qatar on February 7 and have been here since.
“However, the Litter Thugs will continue to grow and be consistent with cleanups and spreading awareness, even when I’m back in the desert for six weeks,” Kirkhoff said.
The group usually decides which areas to clean up, but they take suggestions and requests from others.
“In the beginning I would tackle any random littered area, but as we have grown, the group decides. But we have also had people contacting us about various suburbs that need cleaning up and wanting to help,” Kirkhoff said.
While group cleanups cover more ground, Kirkhoff encourages solo cleanups whenever possible.
“At the moment it is bi-weekly because the group cleanups are pretty fresh, but in the near future weekly cleanups are on the cards.
“I also promote solo or small group cleanups outside of the organised cleanups. I often do two or three solo cleanups a week and encourage others to do the same. Anyone can send pics of their cleanups and I will spread the awareness on my social media platforms. Hopefully this will inspire others to do the same,” he said.
Kirkhoff recently donated food and blankets to the SPCA. He said while a main goal of the Litter Thugs was to motivate others to keep the city clean, he also likes helping other organisations where possible.
To find out more or join the gang, visit the Litter Thugs Facebook page or check out their Instagram account.
Anyone can send pics of their cleanups and I will spread the awareness... to inspire others to do the same