Litter campaign to celebrate community heroes
16 Oct 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
A major campaign is encouraging people to play their part in keeping the county clean and green.
Home to more than 300,000 residents and attracting millions of visitors each year, Northumberland has a well-deserved reputation as a clean and tidy county.
However, clearing up litter costs the council around £2.6m each year - some of which could be spent on other important council services.
And while the vast majority of residents dispose of their rubbish properly, the actions of a small minority are costing everyone.
As well encouraging people not to drop litter and be proud of their county, this year’s campaign will focus on community ‘litter’ heroes who go above and beyond to help keep Northumberland clean and tidy.
The initiative will be promoted on the backs of buses, as well as on bin wagons and posters, reminding residents not to drop rubbish and ‘love their county’.
Clean-ups will be taking place and the impact of litter and rubbish to humans and animals will also be highlighted.
The council will continue to take enforcement action where they have evidence of littering. So far this year nearly 90 people have been fined or prosecuted for dropping litter.
Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Local Services, said: “We know people have a great deal of pride in our county and most people never drop litter but it’s such a shame that a small minority think it’s acceptable.
“As well as working to get the message across of the cost and impact of littering, we’ll also be celebrating the work of litter heroes across the county who help keep their own communities clean and tidy.
“It’s not difficult to put litter in a bin or take it home and where we catch offenders we will be taking tough action.
“We hope this campaign will act as a gentle reminder to everyone to play their part in keeping the county green and clean.”
Pupils from Warkworth C of E Primary School, who recently won a Love Northumberland Award for their environmental efforts, helped launch this year’s campaign.
Headteacher Laura Ritson explained: “Eco Club and all of Warkworth C of E Primary take great pride in their school environment . Our school vision focuses on everyone working together as a team so we take part in weekly litter picks on site and join community litter picks with Litterbugs.
“Activities such as these are great opportunities to start conversations about the importance of reducing litter and how we can ‘Love our world’ which is one of our school rules.”