Litter-pickers increase as covid brings more rubbish
A litter-picking group has increased its membership by a third since the first lockdown began, bringing with it an increase in dumping and mess.
T h e Ke e p Wa s h i n g to n Tidy team is a group of residents who are determined to keep the place spick and span.
Usually they are helped out by schools and businesses. But that hasn’t been possible since the pandemic took hold.
However, as the problem increases, so do group numbers. The team has been bolstered by about 35 new recruits of Washington families and individuals, taking their total to over 100.
They are backed by the Sunderland City C ouncil with Community Chest money, which can be spent on anything that helps the community. Chair of Keep Wa s h i n g to n T idy i s l o c a l councillor Bernie Scaplehorn.
He said: “Obviously during covid it’s different. Normally we work with corporate and schools. But the number of families and individuals who help has escalated.
“Becky Swindell is our most prolific picker. She’s incredible. She’s out there every day in Washington. She also keeps an eye out for fly-tipping and reports it to the council.
“We’ve had a lot of individuals doing litter picks during lockdown. They bag it all up, then the council comes and
takes it to the tip. I do seven or eight reports a day for the council.
“We get people to volunteer through Facebook. We lend litter picking equipment and advise people on what to pick up and what not to pick up.”
Of course, if people didn’t d ro p r ubbi s h i n th e f i r s t place it would benefit everyone hugely. Mr Scaplehorn says duration is key.
He added: “Litter has got worse since Covid. People think it doesn’t matter.
“We like parents to bring the kids, to educate them a s w e l l a s p i c k u p l i tt e r. We’ve found over the last six months that kids love hi-viz vests!”
The children are told that it’s not just about keeping the streets tidy. The clean-ups help the environment and the wildlife too. For example, hedgehogs getting their noses stuck in tin cans.
It also means fresh air and exercise. Anyone wishing to join can visit the Keep Washington Tidy Facebook page.