The Great British Spring Clean

Friday 15 March – Sunday 31 March

This March we are asking communities to come together and take part in a spring clean to make a difference to the area where you live and help tackle littering across the city.

Spring is fast approaching, evenings are getting lighter and nature is starting to sprinkle a bit of colour on our city, as these changes are happening, we have a responsibility to give it a helping hand by removing litter from beloved local areas.

This time of year is perfect for this community-focused activity due to vegetation die-back and seasonal cutting back.

Help us by litter picking an area of open space or street which is important to you. This may be the street you live in, or your favourite park.

How to get involved

Whether on your own or as part of a group, litter-picking is an easy and fun way to get active, improve your wellbeing and take care of the environment on your doorstep.

Benefits of being a litter picker include:

• improving the cleanliness of your community
• making a positive difference in your community
• making new friends
• reducing crime in your community
• encouraging positive behaviour change

To get started, you will need to apply to be one of our Litter Warriors by emailing community.volunteers@colchester.gov.uk.

From there, we can either put you in touch with a local group or sign you up as a new member and supply you with all the litter picking kit you need, or you can supply your own equipment if you prefer. 

If you are part of a group, we will loan you your kit for a period of time – you can request a loan kit by emailing community.volunteers@colchester.gov.uk.

Volunteers are encouraged to begin with streets, alleyways, footpaths, and open spaces close to where you live. 

Our Community Volunteers Team can help with:

• providing bags
• loaning litter picking equipment
• collecting bags to ensure that they are recycled appropriately.

All requests are subject to availability.

Litter picking hubs

You can also make use of equipment at one of the 9 community litter picking hubs around Colchester.

Each hub consists of a large wheelie bin containing up to 12 sets of litter picking equipment and a supply of litter picking sacks.

Locations:

• Tiptree Community Centre
• Go4 Café – Old Heath Recreation Ground
• Greenstead Community Centre
• Highwoods Country Park Visitor Centre
• Wivenhoe Parish Council – Wivenhoe High Street
• Colchester Sports Park at Northern Gateway
• The Boathouse in Dedham
• Upper Castle Park Rangers Hut (bottom end of the Upper Castle Park near the Roman Wall)
• Colchester Shop - Layer Road

Contact the hub location directly to confirm opening times and availability.

Staying safe while taking part

Once you have picked a place for your clean up, you must visit the location beforehand and carry out a full risk assessment. This is a careful examination of the possible risks that could cause harm to you and other volunteers. If the area carries too many risks for you and your group, choose a different location.

You will be required to submit your risk assessment in order to request a loan of litter picking equipment.

Risk assessment

This is emailed to individuals who are interested in joining our Litter Warriors scheme and organisers who are booking out the Litter Warrior loan kits.