Great British Spring Clean 2021: Get involved in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
May 19, 2021Composting for beginners: how to get started and what you’ll need
June 1, 2021Great British Spring Clean 2021: Get involved in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
May 19, 2021Composting for beginners: how to get started and what you’ll need
June 1, 2021SunSkips is investing heavily in making our waste management operations in Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire as eco-friendly as possible.
Littering and fly-tipping is a huge blight on our country, and we support any initiatives that aim to put a stop to it – including pioneering new technology that will be able to track plastic packaging to the source and identify those responsible for dumping it.
But until such innovations are available to public and private organisations, we rely on hard-working local volunteers who give up their time to pick up litter and keep our roads and countryside tidy.
So seeing as we’re gearing up for the Great British Spring Clean (May 28 – June 13), we thought we’d celebrate these East Anglia eco-warriors…
Ely Litter Pickers (Cambridgeshire)
Miroslava Katsur started Ely Litter Pickers after becoming fed up with the amount of rubbish at the Roswell Pits nature reserve. After appealing for help by creating the Ely Litter Pickers Facebook group, she was overwhelmed when 50 volunteers stepped forward within 24 hours.
Miroslava told Cambridge Independent, “It’s actually exploded! Hopefully, after the lockdown, we can gather and have socials and large litter picks!”
The group recently raised £300 through Just Giving to buy litter-picking equipment to give out to volunteers.
Litter-Free Felixstowe (Suffolk)
While COVID lockdowns have made it difficult for groups to get out there and clean up the streets, the situation has been getting steadily worse along Felixstowe’s main roads. Now, Litter-Free Felixstowe is stepping up its game and working with local haulage companies to stamp out littering in the area.
In fact, the group is making such a big impact on the environment that none other than David Attenborough reached out to commend its members for all their hard work.
Group founder Debbie Bartlett told East Anglian Daily Times, “Volunteers have done a fantastic job cleaning up Felixstowe – but it came to light that the roads needed attention.
“The litter is unsightly and a danger to wildlife and the environment. It cannot continue and now is the time to try to do something about it.”
Pickerel Project (Stowmarket)
Photo: Facebook/ Pickerel Project
A stroll by the river is likely high on the to-do list for Stowmarket residents now the weather is warming up and a sense of normality is returning to everyday life. But you may not be aware of what it takes to make the river corridors a nice place to spend the afternoon.
Working tirelessly to clean up the Gipping River River Path, Pickerel Project meets up on the first Sunday of every month and they’re always looking for new members to lend a hand.
During one litter-picking session, Pickerel Project managed to fish more than 50kg of waste from the riverbanks, including four shopping trolleys and a wooden sledge.
Sustainable Cottenham (Cambridgeshire)
Volunteers in Cottenham – home of SunSkips’ new site – are gearing up for the Village Litter Pick on June 5 after COVID restrictions had previously forced them to put the event on hold.
Now restrictions are lifting, Sustainable Cottenham will be tying the event in with the Great British Spring Clean 2021. Unfortunately, the usual post-pick get together won’t be happening this year.
More information on the group’s website.
If you’re keen to keep your local area tidy now COVID-19 restrictions are easing, get in touch with one of these local groups and be part of the solution.
Feature photo: Facebook/Pickerel Project