The people of South Tyneside are being encouraged to take pride in the Borough’s appearance by coming together as part of a national campaign to help clean up their communities.
The Clean for The Queen campaign aims to inspire more than a million people across the country to take action and help give their local communities a spring clean ahead of The Queen’s 90thbirthday on 21 April.
Local residents, schools and businesses are being urged to get involved with the mass movement taking place across the country from Friday 4 until Sunday 6 March.
South Tyneside Council together with South Tyneside Homes are offering support to groups and individuals who want to join in with litter picks in the Borough’s streets, parks and public spaces.
It costs taxpayers almost £1billion to clear away the 30 million tons of rubbish collected from UK streets each year and this campaign aims to tackle the problem of littering nation-wide.
The Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Richard Porthouse said: “By taking part in this national campaign we hope to inspire residents, schools, community groups and businesses to do their bit in helping to tackle littering within the Borough.
“Our street cleaning teams will be out in force during the campaign working hard to keep the Borough clean, green and tidy for residents and visitors. We hope the community will get behind this and support the Council and South Tyneside Homes by organising their own events to clean-up their communities.”
South Tyneside Council is also reaching out to local businesses, particularly fast food outlets, to support the campaign with cleaning around their stores and to encourage their customers to dispose of their litter responsibly.
Schools from across the Borough are also being encouraged to get involved by organising their own litter picks to help South Tyneside be a clean space in which to live, work and play.
Councillor Tracey Dixon, Lead member for Area Management and Community Safety, said: “This national-wide initiative is an ideal opportunity to highlight the issue of littering. Dropping litter is totally unacceptable. It is unsightly, gives a negative perception of our neighbourhoods and is costly to clean-up.
“As part of this campaign, we are encouraging communities to get involved and improve the appearance of their local environment. By working together we can make the Borough a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit.
“Clean for the Queen is a great way for people to take pride in in their local community and help tackle littering across the Borough.
“It is important to educate our younger generation about the importance of looking after their environment and the detrimental effects of littering.
“The Clean for the Queen campaign is a great opportunity for schools and children across the Borough to be part of a national initiative that can help to tackle littering within their local area.”
South Tyneside Council in partnership with South Tyneside Homes is actively working to tackle litter with the Borough wide Report It campaign which aims to take action against those who fail to clear up after their dog, fly tip or litter while raising awareness of the detrimental impact of dog fouling and littering has on local communities.
Anyone interested in organising their own event to take part in the Clean for the Queen campaign, should visit www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk to register their details.
In addition those interested in taking part can contact Andrew Whittaker Andrew.whittaker@southtyneside.gov.uk or ring (0191) 427 2053 to request some support to hold their own litter pick.