The UK’s Growing Litter Army: Litter Free Felixstowe

The UK’s Growing Litter Army: Litter Free Felixstowe

A community litter picking group in Felixstowe is hoping to change the behaviours of residents and visitors to the area and encourage them to look after the environment.

The group was only formed at the end of last year, but it has already made an impact on the town’s streets and green spaces, as well as the local beaches. It has the lofty ambition of making Felixstowe the UK’s first litter free town.

The group says it wants to tackle the litter issues in the town and inspire residents, visitors, local businesses, and haulage companies to take action. It holds litter picks twice per month to keep beaches, parks, woodland, hedgerows and grass verges free from litter. Volunteers say they can collect up to 9 bags of rubbish from each location.

Since the group took its initiative to the beaches, it says it’s finding a lot of washed up fishing line, drinks cans, and plastic cups. Plastic waste is high on the group’s agenda, and the founder says that tackling the problem is everyone’s responsibility.

If you’d like to find out more about litter-free Felixstowe, you can find them on social media here:

Litter-Free Felixstowe Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/346355296120853

Listing of Litter-Free Felixstowe events (including litter-picks): www.facebook.com/groups/346355296120853/events

Litter-Free Felixstowe Twitter page: www.twitter.com/litterfreefelix

Plastic-Free Felixstowe

Slightly preceding the litter warriors, Plastic-Free Felixstowe was set up in February last year and the group aims to reduce the use of plastics in the town. The group gained over 1000 members in its first four months of existence, and it works tirelessly to educate and encourage people to do their bit when it comes to tackling the plastic problem. It also talks to local retailers and other businesses to encourage good practice and get them on board.

The group lists businesses who are already doing their bit on a ‘local heroes page’ and it puts its case for tackling plastic across very plainly. It states on the website ‘We need to do this because we are killing the planet on which we all live.’

It also gives visitors some handy tips on how to reduce their use of plastic, including:

Using jute/cloth shopping bags rather than plastic

Investing in re-usable hard plastic or metal water bottles

Using bio-degradable straws

Using water fountains to refill water bottles

Eating fewer ready-meals (which often come with a hard to recycle black plastic tray or plastic container, as well as non-recyclable plastic film)

Take a re-usable cup when you go to a coffee shop

Stop using plastic cutlery

If you’d like to know more about Plastic-Free Felixstowe.