Litter-picks

Pledge to pick for the Great British September Clean

Earlier this year we were blown away by the support from everyone – volunteers, charities and businesses – for the Great British Spring Clean, which was due to take place from 20 March – 13 April 2020.

However, with our first priority to make sure everyone was safe and well, we postponed this year’s campaign due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Now it is back and here's how you can get involved and show support for our Great British September Clean:

1. Organise a private clean-up with up to five other family and friends.
2. Pledge to do your own individual clean-up, you can give as little as 15 minutes to the campaign.

We would like to support this event as much as we can in this uncertain time but we have had to take into account new guidance on the cleaning of the equipment.

Due to this, we have taken the decision to only hire out equipment to pre-existing litter picking groups and parish councils. We are asking for the groups to keep hold of the equipment for three weeks during this event and have an adequate place to store the equipment when not in use. We would ask that these guidelines are passed to all your volunteer litter picking groups so they are aware of the current procedures.

Loaning of equipment

We will only be hiring out six litter pickers at a time to each group to ensure that the government guidelines are maintained. We will not be able to hire out gloves to any groups at the moment and ask that you provide your own. 

To loan the equipment you must complete the community litter pick form where you will be notified if your request has been successful. Due to the enhanced health and safety precautions we are taking, it is a first come first served system.

All group leaders will need to:

• Conduct a risk assessment;
• Map the areas to be cleared and notify us of where you wish your bags to be collected from using the community litter pick form at least five working days before your pick as our resources are stretched and we need adequate time to plan this into our schedule;
• You must conduct a safety briefing with all volunteers prior to the litter pick starting;
• Take contact details of all the volunteers at the litter pick in case they need to be contacted for the test and trace service;
• Have adequate PPE equipment and hand sanitiser available.

We support local communities and volunteers who wish to organise community litter picks. We'd like to know about your event and offer equipment for loan subject to availability. We can also assist you to dispose of the collected litter. Please read our Frequently Asked Questions below and then complete our online community litter pick form.