West Berkshire Council backs Keep Britain Tidy's million-mile mission to clean up the country

Issued on: 18 May 2021.

In the past 12 months, many people have relied on their local parks and open spaces as somewhere to escape to, to exercise and to play.

West Berkshire Council has pledged its support for Keep Britain Tidy's annual campaign and is asking all residents to do their bit and clear up the litter that can blight these places, as part of the Great British Spring Clean.

The campaign, which runs from 28 May - 13 June 2021, calls on the public to pledge to clean-up and help the charity achieve a million miles of litter-picking. 

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.

If you are organising a community clean-up event for The Great British Spring Clean, West Berkshire Council can provide litter-picking equipment to help you carry out your event. Please give us as much notice as possible when requesting equipment and wait for confirmation before you advertise your event as our equipment may not be available due to popular demand. Visit: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communitylitterpick to find out more information including how to request equipment.

The Great British Spring Clean, now in its sixth year, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to their local environment. In 2019, more than half a million #LitterHeroes collected just under a million bags of litter, weighing around 4,308 tons.

Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for the Environment at West Berkshire Council, said:

"While the waste team and our contractors do an amazing job keeping the district clean following the inconsiderate actions of litterers, we call upon our local communities to support Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean to aid us in keeping West Berkshire tidy and clear of litter."

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 West Berkshire 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."

Pledge to get involved today at www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean

If you are organising a clean up, we'd love to see your efforts! Make sure you tag us in your photos or videos on social media and use the following hashtags #GBSpringClean #MillionMileMission #WestBerkshire