Calling all litter heroes! Join us for this year’s Great British Spring Clean
Could you help tackle the scourge of litter in your local community? Dover District Council is looking for volunteers to sign up for this year’s Great British Spring Clean campaign (GBSC).
The annual litter picking event, organised by Keep Britain Tidy and taking place between 28 May and 13 June, calls on everyone to help make Britain cleaner and greener.
Local parks and beaches offer residents and visitors much needed space to relax and enjoy the outdoors – and never has this been more appreciated than over the last year during the pandemic. However, as a direct result of this, litter has increased significantly too.
The council spends £1.5m each year on street cleansing and regularly runs local campaigns encouraging residents to pick up after their dog, use the local bins and take any rubbish home with them. Unfortunately, though, there are still some who don’t dispose of their litter responsibly.
DDC celebrates the majority of residents who do care and take a pride in their district by doing the right thing, and fully appreciates the efforts of local voluntary groups who offer their continued help.
And this year, the call for volunteers is even louder. For residents who are happy to roll up their sleeves to help the environment, whilst getting out into the fresh air and safely meeting others, the council can provide all the necessary equipment for organised litter picks, and will arrange to pick up any rubbish that is collected.
As part of this year’s GBSC campaign, the council is also running a photo competition for young people aged under 18. Younger residents are encouraged to unlock their creativity and showcase the beauty of the Dover district by submitting a photo (they have taken themselves) that promotes civic pride and makes them feel glad to be a Dover district resident. Top prize is a £50 Love to Shop voucher.
Diane Croucher, Head of Regulatory Services, said: “Joining the Great British Spring Clean is a great way to meet friends safely outdoors, while making the district a cleaner place to live. The council is delighted to be supporting this event once more and hopes to welcome more volunteers this year than we’ve seen before.
“Litter is an ongoing problem for which we are continuously looking to find solutions. We will explain what further action we are taking during this campaign which includes the introduction of litter bag dispensing stations, cigarette butt disposal, beach litter picking venues and on the spot fines to help create a cleaner district that we can all be proud of.”
For further information about signing up to be a volunteer litter picker or the photography competition, including terms and conditions, please visit www.dover.gov.uk/GBSC