Braintree District Council is encouraging residents and businesses to pledge to do their bit to clear up the litter that blights the district during the Great British Spring Clean 2023.
This year’s national campaign, from 17 March to 2 April, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep - and the charity is keen to stress litter picking can be accessible to everybody with the right resources.
Braintree District Council is calling on residents to show pride in their area by pledging on Keep Britain Tidy’s (KBT) website to pick a bag or more of litter, helping make a huge difference to the environment.
The district already has an army of local volunteers who regularly litter pick parks, green spaces, streets, verges and river walks, all who take pride in the place where they live. Across the district, people of all ages do their bit, some being as young as 5 years of age and others who have continued to litter pick for many years. There are over 500 Green Heart Champions and many community groups who continue to pick up litter being left behind by other people. Council staff also work hard to clean up town centres, roadside verges, main highways and lay-bys.
As well as being good for the environment, KBT’s feedback was that after the 2022 campaign, 85% of people who took part said they felt more pride for their local area.
A post campaign survey of participants also showed 71% agreed that they felt more a part of their local community and 69% agreed that they are more aware of litter issues in their local area.
As well as polluting our streets, parks and rivers, litter harms wildlife, domestic pets and cattle, and costs the authority a staggering £1.359 million to keep the district clean and tidy and a significant portion of this is spent clearing up litter.
The Great British Spring Clean, now in its eighth year, saw people up and down the country come together last year to clean up nearly half a million bags of litter.
This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to media partner Clear Channel, as well as supporting partners KFC, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Mars Wrigley, Coca-Cola, Walkers and Pepsi MAX. We also thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising funds to support this campaign.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The Great British Spring Clean simply would not be possible without the backing of our local authority partners.
“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from Braintree District Council and residents.
“Now into its eighth year, the Great British Spring Clean is a fantastic way for people to really show their pride in where they live, and connect with like-minded residents, while taking serious and immediate action to protect the environment on their doorstep.
“During this year’s campaign, we are calling on everyone to show #PrideinPlace and help us harness the power of collective environmental action by taking on the #BigBagChallenge. It’s inspiring to see so many councils have made a commitment this year to support this vital call to action to protect our environment.”
Cllr Wendy Schmitt, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and The Environment said:
“Again this year, we are proud to support the Great British Spring Clean and we are calling on everyone to take part in the campaign.
“It’s inspiring to see so many people and communities already volunteering to help keep the district looking clean, tidy and well maintained.”
Pledge to get involved today at www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean and support them on social media with the hashtag #GBSpringClean and #BigBagChallenge.
If you would like to find out more on how Braintree District Council can support you with the loan of litter picking equipment please email Customer Services on csc@braintree.gov.uk or call 01376 552525.