The Great British Spring Clean is back for another year and we want you to take part.
The Council is backing the national Keep Britain Tidy led campaign, which runs from 20 March to 13 April, which will see up to 600,000 people nationwide taking action to clean up streets, parks and beaches across the country.
The Great British Spring Clean brings together individuals, community organisations, schools, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep. Last year in Plymouth, 576 people took part in either a litter pick or a beach clean and collected 1056 bags of litter,
The Great British Spring Clean is about demonstrating that you love where you live – whether that’s by pledging to pick while you’re walking the dog or taking the kids to school, hosting a clean-up or joining someone else’s clean-up.
Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet member for Street Scene and the Environment, said: "I'm really pleased that we are involved with the Great British Spring Clean again this year.
"Last year it was amazing to see communities get their gloves on, come together and help to clean up their little part of the city.
“All people need to do is have a look on the Keep Britain Tidy website to see what is happening near you. You can also log your pick with Keep Britain Tidy and that will also direct you to information on arranging a collection of what you’ve cleaned up.
“We should all have pride in the environment and each do our bit to ensure that we live in the cleanest city we possibly can!”
How you can get involved
Host a clean-up: Grab a bunch of mates or neighbours and set up a community pick in your area. It can be a neighbourhood, a park, or even just your street. It's up to you!
Join a clean-up: If you fancy getting involved in an already-arranged community clean-up, you can search the KBT website for events in your area.
Pledge to pick: You don’t have to organise a clean-up or join others if you don’t want to. You can simply register your support by pledging on this page. You could pick up litter while walking the dog or on the walk to school.
This year’s campaign will not only see tonnes of litter being removed from the environment on our doorstep, it also aims to rescue thousands of the plastic bottles and aluminium drinks cans that are simply thrown on the ground but could, very easily, be recycled.
Where possible, volunteers will recycle as much as they can by separating what is picked up into two bags: one for plastic bottles and aluminium cans and another for non-recyclables. The Council will then arrange collections.
Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “The overwhelming response to last year’s Great British Spring Clean showed that there are many hundreds of thousands of people out there who love where they live and are prepared to take action to make it better for themselves, their families and their communities.
“We are delighted that Plymouth is supporting this year’s campaign and would like to thank them for their support.
“Without councils across the country giving the campaign their backing, our volunteers would not be able to do the incredible job they do.”
To find out more about the Great British Spring Clean visit www.keepbritaintidy.org
If you would like to borrow litter picking equipment, then further register your event with the Council at www.plymouth.gov.uk/litterpick