Northumberland backs Keep Britain Tidy's big clean up
09 Mar 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Northumberland County Council is encouraging residents and businesses to pledge to do their bit to clear up the litter during the Great British Spring Clean 2023.
This year’s campaign, from 17 March to 2 April, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep - and the charity is keen to stress litter picking can be accessible to everybody with the right resources.
The council is calling on people to show pride in their area by pledging on Keep Britain Tidy’s website to pick a bag or more of litter, helping make a huge difference to the environment.
The Great British Spring Clean, now in its eighth year, saw people up and down the country come together last year to clean up nearly half a million bags of litter.
As well as being good for the environment, after the 2022 campaign, 85% of people who took part said they felt more pride for their local area.
A post campaign survey of participants also shows 71% agreed that they feel more a part of their local community and 69% agreed that they are more aware of the litter issues in their local area.
Councillor John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Local Services with the County Counci, said: “The county is famous for being green and clean and we want everyone to play their part in keeping it that way.
“Whether it’s the local park, green space, beach or just the local streets we'd encourage as many people as possible to get involved and we’ll support them with the right equipment.”
For those playing their part, bagged litter can be placed in the general household waste bin, with any recyclable items such as plastic bottles and drinks cans going in the recycling bin.
For larger amounts of litter volunteers can make contact with the Council via email to agree collection arrangements.
Anyone wanting to request litter picking equipment from the council or arrange for the removal of bagged collected litter can contact:
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The Great British Spring Clean simply would not be possible without the backing of our local authority partners.
“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from Northumberland County Council and its residents.
“During this year’s campaign, we are calling on everyone to show #PrideinPlace and help us harness the power of collective environmental action by taking on the #BigBagChallenge.
“It’s inspiring to see so many councils have made a commitment this year to support this vital call to action to protect our environment.”