There’s a national spring clean on its way, and there’s not a mop or spray bottle in sight. Instead, this clean will be sweeping up the waste of the nation, clearing our streets and green spaces of nasty litter. Entering its 8th year, Keep Britain Tidy’s annual litter picking campaign ‘The Great British Spring Clean’ runs from 17th March – 2nd April 2023.
The Great British Spring Clean is calling on Britain’s #LitterHeroes to come together to improve the quality of public spaces. The campaign aims to eradicate litter and help people live more sustainably. Big or small, every contribution helps and there are many ways to get involved. Before we tell you how, you might want to know some interesting facts about litter in the UK!
- Littering costs local authorities £663 million a year (or £28 per household).
- In the UK, there are on average 378,300 engaged volunteers doing something about litter.
- In 2021, Great British Beach Clean volunteers recorded plastic/polystyrene as the most common type of litter found on beaches with 112 pieces recorded for every 100 metres of beach.
- It can take years for litter to break down. Orange peel and banana skins take up to 2 years to biodegrade. Cigarette butts take up to 12 years and, plastic bags take 10-20 years.
- The amount of litter dropped each year in the UK has increased by 500% since the 1960s.
How can you get involved in the Great British Spring Clean?
You can pledge on the Great British Spring Clean campaign site as an individual, as a group, or as a school. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Join an organised litter pick or beach clean.
- Organise your own litter-picking event in your community.
- You don’t need to join an event; a little picking every day makes a huge difference such as on the school run or while out walking the dog.
- Record your Pledge on the Great British Spring Clean webpage.
How else can you help?
There are lots of things that you can do to help keep East Sussex litter free. Eliminating waste and reducing litter can become part of everyone’s everyday routine. Here are some ideas to help you live more sustainably and in turn, reduce waste and littering:
- Shop eco-friendly with sustainable packaging.
- Use reusable tea and coffee cups.
- Compost and reuse.
- Recycle; get to know your local district or borough’s policy.
- Spread the word with friends and family.
- Use the Love Clean Streets app for iPhone or Android. Report environmental issues such as graffiti, fly-tipping, dog mess and many other categories.
Whatever your plans, Keep Britain Tidy have a wealth of information to make your litter-picking experience as easy, safe and fun as possible. We would love to hear what you have lined up for the campaign, let us know!
