Braintree District Council is supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s appeal to members of the community to pledge to pick one bag of litter - or more - for Keep Britain Tidy’s 10th Great British Spring Clean.
Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign which runs from 21 March - 6 April, is calling on everyone across the district to show they love where they live by taking part in the mass action litter pick.
The Council is delighted to lend its support to back Keep Britain Tidy’s plea to the public to pledge on the charity’s website to pick one bag or more of litter from streets, parks and open spaces in order to protect our vibrant communities and precious wildlife habitats.
Residents, volunteers and community groups who wish to take part can request the loan of litter picking equipment from Braintree District Council which includes gloves, hi-vis vests, litter bags and litter picks which will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.
Braintree District Council will be doing its bit to support the campaign by undertaking a deep clean along the eight-mile stretch of the A120 within the district, running from the Felsted slip roads to Marks Farm roundabout, via Galley’s Corner.
Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Transformation, the Environment and Customer Services, and Deputy Leader at Braintree District Council said: “Littering causes harm to our environment by releasing greenhouse gases as it slowly breaks down, which contributes to the climate crisis and is also is a danger to wildlife and nature.
“The A120 is a major highway running from Hertfordshire to Harwich and meets with other major A-roads and consequently has an extremely high volume of traffic. The stretch in our district is not only used by locals but vehicles that pass through it enroute. The vast majority of our residents bin their litter responsibly, but to all those who deliberately throw their litter out of the window, our message is simple, use the bright yellow roadside litterbins or drive your litter home.
“We know our residents feel passionate about their local environment and find littering unsightly and antisocial behaviour. We are indebted to our volunteers, community groups and many Green Heart Champions who regularly litter pick to keep their areas clean and tidy. Unfortunately, though, there are still some who don’t dispose of their litter responsibly.”
Anyone can get involved in the Great British Spring Clean today by pledging at: www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean and using the hashtags #GBSpringClean #LoveWhereYouLive
Residents who wish to request the loan of litter-picking equipment can email Braintree District Council’s Customer Service Centre at: csc@braintree.gov.uk or call 01376 552525.