Call to litter heroes to back the Great British Spring Clean

Residents in the High Peak are being urged to help spruce up their communities by taking part in Keep Britain Tidy's national Great British Spring Clean.

Derbyshire County Council is backing the annual #GBSpringClean, which runs from 28 May to 13 June, and calling on people to pledge to clean up their villages, towns, parks and playgrounds and help Keep Britain Tidy achieve a million miles of litter-picking. 

The county council's call for litter heroes to wage war on rubbish is being led by county council leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, who is keen for residents and visitors to keep the county clean and tidy and follow the Countryside Code.

Councillor Lewis said: “We are very privileged to live in such a beautiful county and I know that we all want to keep it that way.

“During the lockdowns one of the only pleasures we had was to be able to get out for a walk every day, with many of us relying on being able to escape for a little while to get some exercise and fresh air.

“However, as restrictions on getting out and about eased between lockdowns, especially during the warmer weather last year, it became very clear that not everyone was taking responsibility for their litter by either putting it in bins or taking it home. Some of the scenes of litter-strewn fields, parks and countryside sites were disgraceful and very saddening.

“Hundreds of people including myself take part in regular litter picks across the county every year as well as backing Keep Britain Tidy’s annual Great British Spring Clean, and I’m sure they will all pledge to help the charity meet its million miles of litter-picking target this year.”

Councillor Lewis added: “Litter is not only an eyesore and damaging to the environment and wildlife but costs local councils and therefore the taxpayer more than half a billion pounds every year to be picked up. The council has already supported many groups which carry out regular litter picks through its Action Grants, and I’d like to see us all work together to get on top of this issue.”

The Great British Spring Clean is now in its sixth year, and in 2019, more than half a million #LitterHeroes collected just under a million bags of litter, weighing around 4,308 tons. 

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “The Great British Spring Clean would not be possible without the support of local authorities, including Derbyshire County Council.

“We have all spent a lot more time in our local area in the past year and have come to realise just how important our local park or green space is for our mental and physical health.

“We need to care for these spaces and the Great British Spring Clean is an opportunity for everyone to take a small action that, collectively, can make a big difference.”

Derbyshire residents can pledge to get involved by going to www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean

As well as getting information from Keep Britain Tidy, residents organising litter picks can also contact their district and borough council for information about safely picking up litter, and everyone is being advised to follow current government guidelines in relation to Covid-19 restrictions.

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