LITTER ARMY GOES INTO BATTLE
Volunteers get stuck in as clean-up of UK starts today
VOLUNTEERS across the country are today rolling up their sleeves to wage war on litter as the nationwide campaign to clean up Britain kicks off.
Armed with litter-pickers, bin bags and gloves, they will comb countrysides, beaches and streets as part of the Great British September Clean, backed by the Daily Mail.
The campaign, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, was due to run in March but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 700,000 volunteers signed up just six weeks after its launch, eclipsing last year’s total of 563,163.
Six months on the campaign is going ahead while sticking to Government guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Groups of no more than six will litter-pick together while maintaining social distancing at all times and using the correct equipment.
Shocking pictures have shown that in recent months litter has become an enormous blight on the nation’s beauty spots. From the countryside to the coast, thoughtless people have left piles of waste and plastic while meeting up with friends and family outdoors as lockdown restrictions began to ease.
A survey this year found that a fifth of people admitted dropping litter during the lockdown and almost half of 18 to 25-year-olds said they had dumped rubbish in streets, parks and rural areas.
Now is the chance for you to get involved in the bid to make Britain beautiful again. The campaign has already been backed by everyone from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the Wombles of Wimbledon, who came out of hibernation to help encourage the nation to get involved.
All 22 senior Cabinet ministers have pledged to take part and the 364 Tory MPs have been urged to do their bit. Jaguar Land Rover has asked its workforce of around 38,000 to get involved, while the Post Office and Countryside Alliance have also pledged to take part.
Keep Britain Tidy has called on Mail readers once again to pitch in.
Richard McIlwain, deputy chief executive, said: ‘We are delighted to be back now – albeit in a slightly different way to make sure everyone stays safe – and we want as many people as possible to pledge to pick.
‘As little as 15 minutes of litterpicking, whether while walking the dog or walking the kids to school, makes a big difference.’
When the Mail announced the campaign was to go ahead, Mr Johnson said: ‘I wholeheartedly support the Mail’s public-spirited campaign. While continuing to follow distancing rules, we can all play our part by rolling up our sleeves and joining in the Great British September Clean.’
The 2019 clean-up effort was the biggest ever mass-participation environmental campaign when volunteers tidied the equivalent of 239,344 wheelie bins of rubbish – nearly 20 per cent of which was plastic bottles.
The Mail has mounted many successful environmental campaigns including Turn the Tide on Plastic and Be a Tree Angel.
‘Roll up your sleeves and join in’