Litter Picking – A Small Thing To Do To Make a Big Difference

If there was just one thing that everyone could do to make a massive difference to our planet it would be to dispose of their litter responsibly. It’s been depressingly obvious that the improvement to the environment during lockdown is unlikely to last while there are so many irresponsible people about. In the last few weeks the litter has been re-appearing everywhere and there have been numerous fires due to disposable BBQs just being left behind. It doesn’t have to be this way!

It amazes me how many people like to visit beauty spots but somehow feel it’s ok to just throw their rubbish wherever they feel. Would you visit if it was filled with everybody else’s litter as well? Probably not because you would rightly be disgusted at the state of the place. So why is it ok for you to leave your litter behind?

But you know what really makes me angry… the wildlife that is killed due to these selfish, lazy people.

LITTER KILLS 💔😢 this poor #hedgehog died after getting stuck inside this #pringles tube! 🦔@Pringles_UK can you please RT? #BinIt #DontBeATosser #SaveTheHedgehog #ProtectWildlife #Nature #Litter #LitterPicking @ChrisGPackham pic.twitter.com/lpWVTzS0SW

— Thornaby Community Litter Project (@ThornabyCLP) May 27, 2020

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Keep Britain Tidy

If you have a picnic at the beach then you should be taking all the food containers, empty crisp packets and everything else back home with you. You managed to carry it all there, you’re more than capable of taking it home again.

I’ve heard people say, ‘it’s ok to drop litter I’m keeping someone in a job’. But guess what? It’s you and your neighbours who pay those people. The more litter there is, the more your council tax bills will go up so that your local council can afford to pay people to pick up your rubbish. Thankfully I haven’t heard that particular excuse for a long time, but it’s still the attitude of some people that they are above keeping litter off the streets.

I can’t believe I have to explain to people how to dispose of their litter but here we go…

How to Dispose of Litter

Find a bin

• Throw recyclables into recycling bins
• Throw unrecyclables into normal bins

Take it home with you

• If the bin at the beach is full, don’t leave your rubbish next to the bin, take it home with you.
• Don’t like carrying a full dog poo bag around? Tough, you have a dog, dispose of it properly. Don’t hang the bag in a tree!
• Just visited KFC? Don’t chuck the boxes in the nearest car park, take them home with you or find a bin.

Sadly there will always be people who have no respect for themselves or others. They’re perfectly happy to have litter flying around them and will always leave their own litter behind. Thankfully to counteract these dreadful people there are some wonderful people who regularly go out and do some litter picking. It can seem like a thankless and endless task so if you do see someone doing their bit so that you have a nice, tidy environment, say thank you. Even better why not pop out and do some litter picking yourself.

‘This virus has made us have more respect for nature & our delicate world.’ What a load of hogs wash. We are not anywhere near the end of #Covid_19 & people are already polluting the beaches. Those who left their rubbish behind for nature or others to clean up, you disgust me. pic.twitter.com/d3LmWvigvq

— Dr. Karl Beattie (@realkarlbeattie) May 22, 2020

Going Litter Picking

Loads of people now regularly go out to clean our beaches, parks and streets. With so many dog owners in the UK imagine if every single one of them picked up litter every time they walked their dog? Of course, it would be better for everyone if less waste was produced and if people weren’t so anti-social by dropping so much litter, but we can all play a part to Keep Britain Tidy! There are certain things you can buy or do to make your litter picking outing go better.

Litter Picking Essentials

It’s true that you could just go out with a bin bag and then stop when it’s full, but you do have to think about your own safety, especially in these times of pandemic. At the very least you need some good thick gloves (so that you don’t cut yourself on any sharp objects). However I would say your most important litter picking essential is an actual litter picker. It’s not really possible to find one that is plastic free, but if you’re going to pick up rubbish regularly, a litter picker prevents you from constantly bending over to pick things up and you’ll be really grateful for it. And it is of course reusable!

There are other things you can buy or use that aren’t essential, but that I would definitely recommend in certain circumstances, such as a high visibility jacket if you go litter picking by the side of a road.

Litter Pickers

Litter pickers vary massively in price and probably quality as well. I bought a really cheap one and it’s lasted for over a year, but you might want one that’s slightly more expensive. Mine does start hurting my hand a little, but it does the job.

For children

Firstly if you have children you might be surprised at how much they’d enjoy going litter picking with you, and what a great time to instil in them the importance of disposing of rubbish properly. You can actually buy litter pickers designed specifically for children, however the main thing to look for is the length of it – for kids one that is 26 or 27 inches (65 – 68 cm) is good enough.

The Helping Hand Company Graptor Children’s Litter Picker, Red/Silver, 27-Inch

There are several things I like about this particular litter picker. Not only is it specifically designed for children but it’s also British designed and manufactured, which helps to reduce any products carbon footprint. Here is how they describe the litter picker on Amazon.

• The perfect children’s litter picker at 68cm/27-inch child friendly length – lightweight kids litter picker
• Vivid bright design especially to capture children’s imagination when litter picking
• Comfortable over moulded handle to support little hands
• The ‘teeth’ on the Graptor jaws are tailored to pick up litter quickly and easily
• High quality British design and manufacture by The Helping Hand Company- 100% reusable product

Buy Graptor Children’s Litter Picker

The Helping Hand Company Tidy Jon Pro, Red/Silver, 18-Inch

If you have really small children who want to go picking up trash with you, this litter picker is perfect. This is made by the same company as the previous one, so again it’s British designed and manufactured. This is how it’s described on Amazon.

• 45cm/18-inch length, for janitorial, or nursery/infant age litter picks
• Rotating 90 degree jaw to get into confined spaces
• Precision teeth for superb cleansing and pick up – lightweight design
• Comfy handle for all ages and type of work
• High quality British design and manufacture by The Helping Hand Company – 100% reusable product

Buy Tidy Jon Pro Litter Picker

For adults

Helping Hand 33″ Standard Litter Picker

This one is about average price and what’s good about it is that it’s capable of picking up really small items like cigarette butts and even matchsticks. It’s another one from the Helping Hand Company. Here’s the description from Amazon.

• Manufactured in anodised aluminium and plastic – will not rust
• Fluorescent strips and bright red handle and jaws improve visibility
• Capable of picking up items as small as matchsticks and cigarette ends
• Easy to use trigger action and comfortable ergonomic handle
• Dimensions (approx.): Length: 33 1/2″ (85cm), Maximum jaw opening: 3″ (8cm)

Buy Standard Litter Picker

Bin Bags or Similar

You need something to put all of the rubbish you collect into. The simplest option is a bin bag from home, however they might not be strong enough and you risk the bag splitting and spilling all that rubbish back over the ground.

It might therefore be worth buying a plastic tub which is likely to be stronger. I’m not a massive fan of plastic, but this kind of ‘bucket’ is lightweight but strong. I’ve ordered one of these for myself so that I can use it when litter picking, but also for use in the garden.

Buy 42 litre large flexi tub

Optional But Recommended For Litter Picking

Bag Hoops

If you’ve ever been litter picking on a windy day you’ll understand why I’ve included bag hoops. One of the most frustrating things about litter picking is how hard it can be to actually deposit the litter from your picker into the bag. This bag hoop is incredibly useful!

High Visibility Jacket

A high visibility jacket is definitely not a litter picking essential, but I highly recommend wearing one if you’re picking up litter next to a road. I just use one that came with a pack I had to buy before I drove to France. If you’d prefer not to spend money, just make sure you wear very colourful clothing. It might also be worth considering making a sign that you can display on the side of the road to warn drivers that litter picking is taking place up ahead.

Thick Gloves

Thick gloves really aren’t necessary most of the time when you have a litter picker, however… there are occasions where gloves would be a very good idea. If you have some good quality gardening gloves that don’t allow thorns to scratch your hands, use those!

Where to Litter Pick

As long as you don’t put yourself in danger you can pretty much go litter picking anywhere. Don’t go litter picking alongside a motorway for example unless it’s an organised occasion and the road is closed!

If it’s your first time just tidy up your own neighbourhood. Due to the pandemic all of my litter picking has been very local for the last year, but it’s really nice to keep the village where I live clean and tidy.

Organised Litter Picks

If you prefer the idea of picking up rubbish with other people, there are normally lots of people organising community clean-ups. Commonly you’ll find beach and river canal-side clean-ups. Do a search on facebook or google to see if there are any groups or communities you can join. You can even check with your local council, as they often organise monthly clean-ups.

How To Litter Pick

There are several different ways you can go about picking up rubbish. It will mainly depend on how much rubbish there is at the location you’ve chosen and also how many people are taking part.

When I do it I just pick up every piece of rubbish I see and put it in one rubbish bag. If the bag starts to get heavy, I stop and head home. Once home I separate the rubbish and recycle everything that I can.

Alternatively you can collect all the glass you find in one container, all the recyclable plastic in another, and anything that can’t be recycled in another etc. That way it’s much easier to dispose of the rubbish at the end of the day.

If you’re picking up litter by yourself and there is a huge amount present, you can usually call your local council to advise them that you’ve got several bin bags that need to be picked up. Wherever possible though it’s good to try and dispose of it yourself.

Litter Picking Hero of Mine

Rayer – a little girl who goes out litter picking with her family every day. She is inspirational and does so much for animals and the environment

A few hours and I am tired …. if evwryone knew how hard this is they might realise and not drop a tiny plastic lid …. I think plastic single use bottles should be stopped completely!!!@waddells74 @PortofBlyth @mcsuk @NorthumbrianH2O @NorthWildlife @KeepBritainTidy @Shanks1Sco pic.twitter.com/E1kuo7joCQ

— TheWaddells74 (@waddells74) May 26, 2020

I go out litter picking every now and then, not as often as I’d like but I’m working on that. Sometimes I do get some funny looks, but I don’t care. I know that even if 4 out of 5 people driving or walking past might wonder what on earth I’m doing, that person in the 5th car might be inspired to go out and do it themselves one day. You can inspire people by your actions every day so make your actions count. There are lots of other ways you can take action for a greener future.

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