Litter is a year-round problem and councils across the UK spend a massive £1billion a year keeping our country clean.
In Darlington alone, more than £1.1m will be spent cleaning streets, back alleys, footpaths and public areas across the borough this year.
That’s money that could be spent on other vital services and with ever-increasing demands on budgets the Council is not able to do as much to tackle litter as we’d like – which is why #OurStreets need you!
Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and the local environment said:
“We’ve already seen dozens of local residents sign up as Street Champions, while others join local community and Friends groups to take part in litter picks across the borough.
“During the annual Big Spring Clean earlier this year, more than 1,000 volunteers collected almost 1,100 bags of litter and three tonnes of bulky waste items.
“But litter is everyone’s problem and we’d like to encourage more people and local businesses to play their part – perhaps keeping the area around their homes or premises clear.
“Of course, the best thing to do is not drop litter in the first place! But if everyone picked up just one piece of litter a day, it could make a huge difference.”
Details of the Council’s street cleaning and litter bin emptying schedule can be found at www.darlington.gov.uk/ourstreets and for information on how you can help keep ‘Our Streets’ clean and how to organise a litter pick log onto the website at www.darlington.gov.uk/litterpick – don’t forget to tell us, and others, about your efforts on social media using the #OurStreets hashtag.