Colchester Borough Council is launching new litter picking hubs across the borough, providing the opportunity for people to borrow litter picking kit when they are out and about, then return them at the end of the day.
This is one of several new approaches to tackling litter the council is launching across the borough in a bid to make it a cleaner, greener and more pleasant place for residents and visitors.
The hubs will consist of a decorated wheelie bin with a dozen litter pickers, a dozen high vis jackets and a dozen litter picking hoops, along with bags. Once litter is collected, people simply need to return the equipment and leave the bag of collected litter next to the bin and visit www.colchester.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling and report under Neighbourhood Services to notify the team to collect the bag.
The hubs will be available at the following locations across the borough:
- Tiptree Community Centre
- Go4 Café – Old Heath Recreation Ground
- Greenstead Community Centre
- St Johns Church – St Johns Close
- High Woods Country Park Visitor Centre
- Wivenhoe Parish Council – Wivenhoe High Street
- Colchester Sports Park at Northern Gateway
- The Boathouse in Dedham
Volunteers at each location will be responsible for looking after the hubs and ensuring the equipment is available for people to use each day.
It is hoped these hubs will encourage people, whether they are visiting or local, to collect some litter whilst on their walk, having their picnic or playing in the park, then returning the equipment back to the litter picking hub – encouraging everyone to “Love our Borough”.
This initiative builds on the council’s litter warrior scheme, where individuals or groups pledge to regularly litter pick their local area. You can find out more about this scheme at www.colchester.gov.uk/litterwarriors.
The hubs will be in place ahead of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean, which takes place 25 March – 10 April, when people can pledge to pick up as much litter as they can during the campaign.
Cllr Simon Crow, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability said: “We really hope people join us on this fantastic initiative that will not only make a positive contribution to the environment, but also make some of our key locations across the borough a nicer, cleaner place to visit, and raise awareness and get the community involved in tackling litter.”
Page last reviewed: 10 March 2022