We can all help to 'Spring Clean Scotland'

Published: Friday 18 March 2022

This picture shows a litter picker lifting rubbish from the front lawns at Chatelherault Hunting lodge.

The council is supporting Spring Clean Scotland – a national anti-litter campaign that kicks off on Monday (21 March).

And you too can join the thousands across the country, led by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), who want to do something about the scourge of those who drop litter.

As well as continuing with our own anti-litter campaign and programme of dedicated rural road cleanups, the council has pledged practical support to help local people do their part.

Volunteers and groups can fill in the community clean up form on our website to borrow equipment to help with their effort, and subsequently, let us know where bagged rubbish has been left so that we can uplift it.

To get the ball rolling, KSB has an info pack available that talks through the best way to organise a litter pick. Events can then be registered on the cleanup Scotland members site that others can join in too.

The organisation even has a range of mascot costumes that are free to hire for community groups, schools and organisations as a fun way of raising awareness of serious environmental issues.

School and community groups can also pledge support to the #BigBagChallenge and pledge the number of bags they think they’ll collect from their playground or local areas.

Lots more resources, including posters, social media cards and info packs are available from KSB on their handy resources page to help those who might not be able to take part on the ground but who want to help to spread the message that littering is anti-social, selfish and against the law.

David Booth, South Lanarkshire’s Executive Director of Community and Enterprise Resources said: “Sadly, our throwaway culture and out-of-sight, out-of-mind behaviour isn’t new, and behaviour change litter campaigns like this have been around since the late 1960s.

"However, over the last two extraordinary years, we have relied more than ever on our outdoor spaces to boost our health and wellbeing, and they have taken the brunt of the impacts of a new wave of anti-social behaviour.

“We all need to be positive and proactive in tackling this problem. That’s why I’m keen that the council not only leads the way through our ongoing programmes, such as that on our rural roads this month, but supports our communities in their efforts too.

“There is already a number of fantastic volunteers and groups across South Lanarkshire regularly working with us to tackle the problem, and I would urge as many more people as possible to join in with this dedicated month of action.”

Spring Clean Scotland runs from March 21- April 21 and all the information, support and resources you need nationally are available from the Keep Scotland Beautiful website.

Don’t forget to promote your event on social media using the hashtag #CleanupScotland #binyourlitter and #takeithome

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