Catherine Flitcroft

BMC’s Hills 2 Oceans (H2O) campaign

Hills 2 Oceans was launched by the British Mountaineeering Council (BMC) to help people organise litter picks, offering free equipment, advice and listing events. intouch.thebmc.co.uk/hills2oceans

“Two years ago, we became aware that there was a lot of litter around. Most of the mass clean-ups were beach cleans and we wanted to get more people out on the hills. So we’ve been giving out free compostable bags and free collapsible litter pickers, which are made in the UK with fully recyclable parts. So far, we’ve given out over 10,000 bags and about 4000 litter pickers. We also provide a calendar of events that all organisations are doing, like the John Muir Trust and Surfers Against Sewage. So if people want to join a ready-made litter pick they can find one, or if they want to arrange one we’ll advertise the details. As restrictions have loosened, it’s proven to be very popular again. We’ve just done a Million Mile Mountain Clean, when we got people out for the whole week seeing how much rubbish we could move off the mountains.

“It’s popular because we’re providing free stuff, I think! And because we’ve got a really good Facebook page. We’re not collecting evidence officially but we do try to get people to post their stories. They’ve put all sorts on there. Like ghetto blasters that they’ve found, lots of random stuff!

“One of the things we’re moving towards are community hubs. That might be an outdoor shop or tea room somewhere like Hathersage, which will have a few pickers and bags available for people to borrow.

“There does just seem to be so much more litter at the moment, which is a real shame, but equally there’s as many people wanting to protect their local green space. It’s an ongoing effort. We just want to try to facilitate more people, communities, and clubs to go and clear their favourite walk.”