Volunteer litter pickers praised for cleaning up Charnwood

It comes as this year’s Great British Spring Clean campaign gets underway across the country.

The borough council recently handed out 100 additional litter picking equipment packs to willing volunteers and community groups.

Shepshed Litter Pickers is just one of many groups across Charnwood that are passionate about keeping local communities tidy and free of litter.

Gill Moore, who runs the group, said: “We started the group in 2019 and have around 170 members on our Facebook group.  Our volunteers are very committed, and we go out every fortnight on a Sunday morning. Litter is not only an eye sore but also very harmful to the environment.

“During our most recent pick we collected 33 bags of rubbish which included a pair of trainers, crisp packets and drink cans. All of this could have easily been disposed of in litter bins or taken home if they are full. Our environment provides us with so many benefits and we should all be taking responsibility to look after it.

“The Council has been great with providing us with rubbish bags and collecting the litter when we’ve finished. We’ve also had some grant funding from Shepshed Town Council which we’ve put towards equipment.”

The campaign is organised by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and is being run from today until Sunday June 13, 2021.

Cllr Leigh Harper-Davies, lead member for community support and equalities said: “We recognise many groups and individuals go out of their way to collect litter throughout the year and not just for the Great British Spring Clean.

"Their selfless and collective efforts help to keep our borough tidy and we’re incredibly grateful for everything they do. Thank you to you all!

“I hope the additional equipment we have provided to people and groups has come in use and we look forward to continuing to support their litter picks.”

The Council supports groups and individuals by providing rubbish bags and working with its waste partner Serco to agree a date and location to pick up the litter.