Torbay residents encouraged to join the Great British Spring Clean
Torbay Council has pledged its support for the scheme by Keep Britain Tidy
Keep Britain Tidy's annual campaign 'The Great British Spring Clean' starts today.
Torbay Council has pledged its support and is asking local residents to do their bit and clear up litter that often blights our countryside.
In the past 12 months, people have relied on the places close to home – the local park or beach – as somewhere to escape to, to exercise and to play.
The charity wants to achieve a million miles of litter-picking nationally, before the end of the campaign on June 13th.
Torbay Council can provide litter picking kits, and also collect the bags of rubbish at the end of each litter pick or beach clean. Anyone organising a litter pick can email engagement@torbay.gov.uk There is also COVID-19 guidance for those taking part on both the Keep Britain Tidy website and the government website.
Leader of Torbay Council Steve Darling said:
“We’re delighted to join forces with Keep Britain Tidy and local partners such as SWISCo, Groundwork South, Tor Bay Harbour and a range of local community groups so that we can all do our bit to clean up the Bay.
“Over recent weeks I have been organising litter picks on the Willows, Babbacombe Downs and Hele Village. After the lockdown it has been a good way to build a sense of community and make a positive impact on our local environment. We all need to play our part in protecting Torbay”.
The Great British Spring Clean, now in its sixth year, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep.
In 2019, more than half a million #LitterHeroes collected just under a million bags of litter, weighing around 4,308 tonnes.
This year’s campaign comes as the charity has reported a massive increase in the number of people who have started litter-picking during the various lockdowns. It has seen the number of #LitterHeroes grow by a third in less than 12 months.
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 Torbay 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.
“Whether you commit to do five minutes or five hours, every single pledge will help us reach our million-mile target and clear many tonnes of litter pollution from our environment.”
If you want to get involved in the Great British Spring Clean, you can email engagement@torbay.gov.uk.