Northamptonshire doesn't just 'talk' rubbish...!

CPRE Northamptonshire organised a big clean-up of litter across the county in March 2009.

The branch ran the 10-day litter pick as part of the Stop The Drop anti-litter and flytipping campaign.

It wrote to every district council to let them know it was running the event. The letter also questioned those councils with a record of not prosecuting for litter and flytipping, and praised those that had done well.

Every one of the councils responded.

The branch then wrote to all parish councils, regardless of whether they were members of CPRE. The letter informed parishes of the relevant district council's response and asked if they would join in the county-wide litter pick.

Alongside numerous parish councils, various Women's Institutes and Scout groups also signed up to take part.

 In all, CPRE Northamptonshire managed to encourage over 60 groups to carry out a litter pick.

Campaigners from the branch tried to attend as many as they could, so they would be on hand to answer any questions and provide as much information as possible. The branch also sent out high visibility vests to groups that requested them.

At the end of the 10-day litter pick, thousands upon thousands of bags of litter had been cleared up. Given the success of this year's event, the branch aims to make this an annual litter pick.

Take action! Do think about organising a litter pick near you. To find out how CPRE Northamptonshire organised theirs, contact Sally Hanrahan on 01604 781729.

Reproduced with permission from Fieldwork, CPRE's member newsletter.

Fiona Cowan
2 September 2009