Wiltshire Council ask people to 'avoid' litter picking during lockdown
The authority is calling on us to stick to Government restrictions
There's a plea from Wiltshire Council for communities to avoid holding litter picks in their local area for the time being.
They're concerned that as we edge towards Spring, community events might start to be organised to keep local areas tidy.
But we're being reminded that the current lockdown rules are that we should stay at home and only go out for exercise with one other person from outside of our household.
Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways and Waste, said:
"We recognise the valuable contribution our communities make to keeping our environment tidy and litter free, and in normal times we actively encourage groups to pick up litter in Wiltshire.
"However, at present, the safety of our residents is of paramount importance, so we must ask that people do not hold organised litter picks, until such time as Government restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so.
"If members of our communities wish to pick litter while undertaking their daily exercise, they should do this in a COVID-safe way, ensuring they are adhering to Government restrictions at all times.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who pick litter in Wiltshire as they do a great job to help keep our beautiful county tidy - but please, at the moment, stay home, protect the NHS and save lives."
WHAT TO DO WITH RUBBISH
Wiltshire Council's asking people who might have picked up litter while they're out and about to put it into public bins.
If you've already been out and have bags of waste piled up, the advice is to leave it beside a public bin and it'll be picked up by crews on their regular collection rounds.
There's also a suggestion to take it home and put it in your own household waste (black), or where appropriate, blue recycling bins.
But we're reminded that we shouldn't leave extra bags out with our household collections, as they won't be taken by refuse crews.