More than 30 million tons of litter are discarded in various parts of Britain annually, creating a visible eyesore in our communities and causing harm to wildlife, with an estimated annual cleanup cost of £1 billion.
The positive news is that Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean will be back from 13-29 March, with hundreds of thousands of individuals ready to contribute to the cleanliness of our streets. Since its inception as a one-time event in 2016, a group of Litter Heroes has demonstrated their commitment to their surroundings by committing to collect over 4.5 million bags of trash from streets, parks, fields, riverbanks, and beaches across Britain.
The upcoming Great British Spring Clean is scheduled for 13-29 March. You can register today at keepbritaintidy.org and declare the number of bin bags you intend to collect. Whether as an individual, a group, or a school, you simply need to provide your name, email address, postcode, and the quantity of bags you plan to pick up.
In the previous year, nearly 400,000 volunteers partook in the annual litter collection, filling roughly 462,000 bags of waste. A survey conducted among participants revealed that 95% acknowledged the noticeable improvement in their local areas due to their efforts.
Among the advocates for this year’s initiative is civil servant Emdad Rahman, one of Keep Britain Tidy’s 200 inspiring Litter Hero Ambassadors supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. He spearheads the Little Litter League, a program that encourages young people and families to value their environment through regular litter-picking activities, emphasizing the importance of education in instigating lasting change.
Emdad’s dedication is shared by other heroes like Sarah Drakes, the sustainability manager at Nestlé Confectionery UK&I, who has been backing the Great British Spring Clean for six years. The commitment of companies like KFC UK&I, Mars Wrigley, and others has been instrumental in supporting the campaign and promoting a cleaner environment.
The Great British Spring Clean offers an opportunity for individuals to positively impact their communities by pledging to collect a bag or more starting from 13 March. Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, the chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, expressed gratitude to volunteers like Emdad for their tireless efforts in removing over four million bags of harmful litter from public spaces.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, commended the volunteers for their dedication to preserving the environment and emphasized the importance of collective action in environmental conservation.
This year’s campaign is made possible through the contribution of People’s Postcode Lottery players, media partners Bauer Media Outdoor, Magic Radio, The Mirror, as well as supporting partners KFC UK&I, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Pepsi Max, and Walkers.
The Great British Spring Clean encompasses the Spring Clean Cymru in Wales (13-29 March) and Spring Clean Scotland in Scotland (13 March-24 April), extending the initiative to these regions as well.