Rubbish Roundup 12th February

Rubbish Roundup 12^th February

Students on Walney Island are taking action on litter, especially plastic that blights their coastline and harms wildlife. They are carrying out a litter pick along with their teachers, local councillors, and street cleaners, and they were motivated to do it after they learned about recycling in their lessons. The students hope to inspire people to recycle plastics properly, and to keep their community clean and tidy.

Ryedale District Council is focusing on tackling litter this month and they’re encouraging residents to make sure that they dispose of their rubbish correctly. The focus on the litter problem is part of a long-term initiative called ‘Don’t be a Waster – Reduce, Reuse, Respect,’ which aims to encourage people to have pride in their local area, by avoiding fly-tipping, reducing waste, not allowing their dogs to foul, and recycling more.

The council are keen to highlight that everyone should do their bit and that littering is unacceptable. They also want to remind residents that they can report incidents of littering to the council via their website.

They are holding a litter pick in Norton on Sunday 4^th March as part of the Great British Spring Clean campaign, which brings communities together to clear up the litter that blights streets, green spaces, and beaches. Bags and litter pickers are provided, but volunteers need to bring their own gloves. Last year’s litter pick in the area was a success, and volunteers cleared 305 bags of litter. The council are hoping to make this year’s event even more successful.

Despite the chilly wintry weather, 200 students cleared litter from the streets of Jesmond in Newcastle, and they managed to collect 150 litter bags in 5 hours. The litter pick was organised by Newcastle University Students’ Union’s Raising and Giving Society (RAG) and members of Keep Jesmond Clean as part of a week-long charity fundraising effort. They raised over £8,000 for 6 charities.

RAG went on to organise litter picks in other areas of Newcastle too, such as Fenham and Leazes Park, and they have received praise from local residents. The students themselves said it was a great thing to do for their local community, and that it made them realise that not only is there a lot of litter about, it can make a real difference even when just one group of people does something about it. The students said that the litter they picked up included glass bottles, cigarette butts, plastic waste, cans, and paper.

A representative from Newcastle University said that students get a bad press for making the areas they live in untidy, but in the past year, there have been fewer complaints about their students, and the litter picks demonstrate that the students very much want to be part of the community they live in.

The city council praised the efforts of the students, but emphasised that litter is everyone’s problem, and people who drop litter will be fined.