At least 20 premises in Stroud District are to become official Litter Champion Hubs, offering litter pickers and rubbish bags for customers and passers-by to use, writes Sue Fenton.
Libraries, schools, community hubs and shops have signed up to take part in the scheme, which was launched on March 1 by Cllr Gill Thomas, Stroud District Council’s official Litter Champion.
Visitors to the various buildings will be able to help themselves to a litter picker to clear any rubbish from the area around the premises.
Gill, Green district councillor for Minchinhampton, has worked with local carpenter Pat Friend to make A-board litter stations that will go outside participating premises with the litter pickers attached. Signage will direct users to the nearest bin where people can dispose of the rubbish they collect.
The scheme was officially launched at Brimscombe Mill, which is to be one of the Litter Champion Hubs. The Mill also hosted the same day a ‘Trash Trail Bike Ride’ and the launch of Transition Stroud’s e-bike hire scheme.
“This is about enabling small-scale litter actions that collectively add up to a lot and will make a massive difference to our environment,” said Gill.
“The litter problem is getting worse, not just in Stroud, but across the UK. According to The Guardian, only nine out of 100 places in the UK are completely litter free. Littered streets have a detrimental impact on mental health and safety, as well as the economic development of an area. It costs Stroud District Council over £770,000 a year in tax-payers’ money to clear streets of rubbish and remove fly-tipped waste. If that’s not an incentive to help keep our environment clean, I don’t know what is!”
She went on: “Some people have the attitude that it’s OK to drop rubbish in the streets as someone else – usually the council – will clear up after them. But the council can’t do it all; so it’s the responsibility of all of us to help keep our streets tidy. If we all do a little bit when we’re out and about, and make it a team effort, it will benefit everyone.”
She added: “My mission is to get people into the habit of picking up litter, no matter how small an amount, and this is why I want to make litter pickers more accessible. The national Great British Spring Clean starts soon (March 21 – April 6) so it seemed like a great time to launch this scheme, while litter is so topical. Picking up litter isn’t the solution to the problem, but it does enable people to take positive action. The more opportunities we give people to pick up litter, the more chance there is of developing positive behaviour change.”
If the scheme proves popular, Gill will arrange for more boards and litter pickers to be supplied.
The scheme is likely to cost about £1,200 and it’s being funded from a £12,000 budget assigned by Stroud District Council to various litter-picking projects initiated by Gill in her role as Litter Champion.
Any organisations that would like to get involved can contact Gill at cllr.gill.thomas@stroud.gov.uk.
