LITTER HEROES MAKE HISTORY
As Mail’s great Spring Clean begins, it’s UK’s biggest volunteer campaign of all
THE Great British Spring Clean began yesterday – making history as the UK’s biggest volunteer drive. A litter- busting army of almost half a million have signed up to help rid their area of rubbish.
Across the country, huge teams of community-minded individuals will pick up waste blighting parks, woodland, beaches and streets. The scheme is backed by the Mail and organised by Keep Britain Tidy, whose boss Allison ogdenNewton yesterday hailed it as the UK’s largest ever volunteer campaign. Theresa May praised those taking part as ‘litter heroes’.
THERESA May praised Britain’s ‘litter heroes’ yesterday as thousands of pupils got the Great British Spring Clean off to a flying start.
Nearly half a million volunteers are giving up their precious time to pick up rubbish as part of a month-long war on waste.
Children across the UK led the way at organised litter collections around their schools yesterday in an inspiring display of community spirit.
Today, adults will join in the effort by picking up waste at shopping parades, woodlands, supermarket car parks, beaches and streets.
Mrs May and Environment Secretary Michael Gove led praise for the civic pride driving the Great British Spring Clean, organised by Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Mail.
The Prime Minister, who took part in a litter-pick earlier this year, said: ‘It’s wonderful that around half a million people have joined the Great British Spring Clean, supported by the Daily Mail. It’s an inspirational campaign that is encouraging people right across the UK to become “litter heroes” and improve the environment on their doorstep.
‘Small changes can make a big difference to our planet. By reducing the amount of plastic we use and recycling we can all make sure the UK’s beautiful countryside and seas are protected for years to come. In Government we’re making changes too – we’re looking carefully at plans to ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds, and we are consulting on increasing the charge of plastic bags to 10p and extending it to all businesses.
‘Initiatives like the Great British Spring Clean are a fantastic way of helping make our towns tidier, our oceans cleaner and in turn protecting our wildlife. A big thank you to all Daily Mail readers who are taking part. Together, we can become the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it.’
The Great British Spring Clean has already had 484,214 people pledge their support, including 165,960 school pupils, with thousands more still signing up every day.
Eva Berksha, seven, who took part in a litter pick organised at St Lukes Primary School in Canning Town, East London, said: ‘I feel very sad that people have thrown so much on the floor.
‘If there isn’t a bin you should put rubbish in your pocket until you find one.’ This week Mr Gove went to Marcus Garvey Park in Hammersmith, West London, to take part in a litter pick with the chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton.
Despite the park appearing relatively litter free, lurking in undergrowth were discarded beer cans, vodka bottles, sandwich and sweet wrappers, plastic bottles and cigarette butts. In just 20 minutes, Mr Gove filled half a bin bag.
He said: ‘I commend the Daily Mail and Keep Britain Tidy for rallying communities up and down the country to make a difference for our precious environment. It’s great to see firsthand the impact the campaign is making, and I’d urge everyone who can to join me in taking part.’
Mrs Ogden Newton, who hailed the Great British Spring Clean as the UK’s largest ever volunteer-based campaign, added: ‘We found the kind or rubbish that the British public hate the most – glass, which can subsequently break, plastic and cans and a lot of food and drink. These are the things that upset people when they want to see a green space. Everybody wants to be proud of their local park.’
The Great British Spring Clean, which runs until April 23, has won widespread support. Backers include the Church of England, Prince William, the United Nations and the Women’s Institute. Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham have also praised the campaign, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called it ‘an inspiring initiative’. Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman, who has organised a pick-up in her Workington constituency, said yesterday: ‘If marine plastic continues to rise at its current rate, the amount of plastic in the sea will outweigh fish by 2050. We simply cannot carry on like this.’
Former Countryfile star Julia Bradbury, an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy, yesterday urged more Britons to do their bit to help.
Taking part in a litter-pick with her four-year-old twin daughters Zena and Xanthe, she said: ‘It’s incredible that so many people have signed up to take part in this year’s Spring Clean. It is indicative of how important it is to people and what a positive thing to do and be involved with.
‘It costs an unbelievable amount of money each year to clean up litter, and there’s not a single person who can’t think of something better we could spend that money on than picking up the mess of lazy people.
‘My hope is that it becomes as socially unacceptable to drop litter as it is to drink and drive.’
‘A big thank you to Daily Mail readers’ ‘Our precious environment’