There’s still time to join in with this year’s LitterFree Durham & Darlington Big Spring Clean and do your bit for #OurStreets.
Organised in partnership with Darlington Borough Council and Durham County Council, the LitterFreeDurham & Darlington initiative was launch on 19 February and runs until Sunday 15 April.
Dozens of litter picks have been organised across Darlington and County Durham with volunteers turning out in force to help clean up their local area.
Last year more than 2,690 people took part in 193 community litter picks and collected 2,899 bags of rubbish. In Darlington alone, 1,085 people joined 62 litter picks during which 1,099 bags of rubbish and 3 tonnes of bulky waste were collected.
Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for leisure and the local environment, said:
“We’re truly grateful to all those who take part in this initiative and to our growing army or Street Champions and other volunteers who help keep #OurStreets clean year round.
“Litter is a problem for us all and obviously the best thing would be for people not to drop litter – but we’d also like to call on people to take positive action if they do see it by picking it up. If everyone picked up just one piece of litter every day, think of the difference it would make – and, of course, there’s still time to join in this year’s Big Spring Clean.”
Councillor Gerald Lee, chair of LitterFree Durham & Darlington, added:
“LitterFree Durham & Darlington’s Big Spring Clean has now been running for more than ten years and once again we’ve seen volunteers come out in force across Darlington and County Durham.
“It really is great to see so many people taking pride and ownership in their own communities by taking action themselves.”
Litter picks still to come include:
£5 Note Bridge – Thursday 5 April, 10am start. Meet at the bottom of Henry Street.
West Park – Tuesday 10 April, 10am start. Meet at the main entrance, off West Auckland Road.
Broken Scar – Friday 13 April, 10am start. Meet at the top car park near the play area.
To register to help clean up your local area or arrange a litter pick, email litterfreedurham@darlington.gov.uk or call 01325 406719. We will also share details of other community litter picks on Facebook and Twitter.
For information about 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 and don’t forget to tell us, and others, about your efforts on social media using the #OurStreets hashtag.