1. Where should I carry out my litter pick?
- Think about areas where you’ve seen lots of litter in the past
- Ask around the local community for ideas
- Obtain permission from the landowner
- Decide on an easily accessible meet-up point, close to where the litter pick is taking place
2. What will I do with the litter?
- Contact your council; they may be able to help
- Ensure that your local tip is equipped to accept the kind of rubbish you’re collecting
- Commercial waste companies will collect rubbish for a fee
- Try to separate rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclable where possible
3. How will I ensure a good level of Health & Safety?
- The organiser must visit the site prior to the event in order to carry out a risk assessment
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download a blank litter pick risk assessment form!
4. How do I make litter picking fun?
- Making the litter pick fun is the best way to encourage volunteers!
- You could do a sponsored litter pick where the litter-picker with the highest sponsorship wins a prize
- Enlist the help of a local celebrity
- Most people will do anything for a cup of tea and a biscuit, so providing refreshments can make the event much more successful
5. How do I decide who to target?
- Advertise your event to local community groups who may be interested in taking part
- People who spend a lot of time in nature are likely to come out and help, so consider approaching photography groups, outdoor sports groups and dog walkers
6. How will I publicise my event?
- Send a press release to your local newspaper or radio station
- Put up posters in places where your target audience will see them
- Communicate with friends and family
- Create a public event on Facebook
7. What equipment will I need?
- Your local council may be able to provide you with some equipment
- Litter pickers
- Bin bags (try to provide different options for recyclable vs non-recyclable waste)
- Protective gloves
- Hand sanitiser
- A skip if your event is on the larger side
- A first aid kit for any accidents
8. What do I need to do on the day?
- You could ask people to sign a participation form, including giving an emergency contact number
- Ensure that all of your volunteers know where they need to go and when
- Check the weather and plan in advance for any changes
- Go through this risk assessment
- If you have more people than equipment, consider splitting people into teams of three; one can pick the rubbish, one can hold the bag, and one can record the items they collect