Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Local litter picks highlight litter still a big issue
A shameful statistic from Ted Talk 'Plastic Rehab' shows that over 80% of litter in Britain has been discarded purposefully; litter that costs around £500 million every year to clean up. Cromwell Polythene is continuing to play its part in Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean - even during the pandemic with socially-distanced litter picks.
This year the company chose two areas of its industrial estate which are known locally for attracting high levels of litter.
The morning team headed to an area which is known as being a litter hotspot due to the high traffic of pedestrians, workers and drivers. Several years ago, Cromwell paid for a bin to be placed in this area to reduce littering. Despite the bin, the morning team collected five full waste bags in just 45 minutes. Waste found included aluminium cans, wet wipes, glass bottles, coffee cups, plastic bottles and food wrappers. It was also noted that although an abundance of cigarette packets were found in this area, the number of cigarette butts appeared to have reduced since last year's litter pick.
During the afternoon, a separate team headed to a different part of the industrial estate, another area known for its high litter levels. Here the participants were inundated with aluminium cans from mainly alcoholic beverages and takeaway containers, indicating this could be a communal socialising spot. Disposable BBQ's and fireworks were two unusual items that were collected during this pick, which helped to fill four large bags of litter.
In addition to the company litter picks, some staff members also carried out their own waste clean-ups at home. Cromwell's purchasing manager carried out a litter pick at a quarry with his family, collecting mostly fly-tipped waste which included a mattress and children's toys. Around eight bags of waste were captured during their short clean-up.
Cromwell's HR & office coordinator also took her own team of pickers including family and friends to collect litter from their nearby play areas, cricket field and rugby pitch.
Overall, staff from Cromwell Polythene collected 20 bags of waste. The week was a busy yet successful one for the team - who are now busy planning for more upcoming events, whilst always striving for a 'cleaner, greener, more resourceful' community.
5th May 2022