New community litter picking hubs in Sheffield

The hubs will provide equipment for volunteers to borrow and return.

It comes as Streets Ahead – which is responsible for maintaining the city’s highways as part of a £2.2 billion PFI contract – said it saw a huge increase in requests for litter picking equipment.

It said there was a 230 percent rise in requests during the first four months of this year, compared to the same time period last year.

Mark Lightowler, street scene manager at Streets Ahead, said: “Litter and fly – tipping is an issue across the country, not just in Sheffield. Sheffield Litter Pickers do a fantastic job of engaging with local people, helping to get the message out far and wide, that you too can help to keep your local area clean and safe, but also that dropping litter and fly-tipping is anti-social and it can be dangerous to children, pets and to wildlife.”

Streets Ahead has a team of more than 100 operatives emptying more than 3,000 litter bins and an average of 850 metric tonnes of litter and fly-tipping collected each month.

They are helped hugely by Sheffield Litter Pickers’ army of more than 3,500 volunteers who pick up many bags of rubbish across the city every day in parks, woodlands, riverbanks, streets and footpaths.

Linda Ball, of Sheffield Litter Pickers, said: “People realise that being actively involved in trying to solve a problem is very satisfying and worthwhile. It’s about caring for your wider environment, for the benefit everyone. And every effort counts, big or small – just a few minutes sprucing up your street or green space will make a difference. You are not alone – there are many of us out there and maybe one day we can outnumber the litterers.”

Sheffield Council said it is supporting by providing equipment and collecting bags.

To organise a community litter pick, including requests for bags, equipment and to arrange collection, book in advance via Sheffield Council’s website here https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/pollution-nuisance/organise-litter-picks