Can a community change? All of our neighbourhoods locally are blighted with some level of littering and flytipping – but the Beeston Hill area is probably one of the hardest hit.
A team of volunteers and residents – led by local campaigner Ed Carlisle and the local Green Party – are therefore embarking on an experiment to see if they can reverse that; and they would love to hear from others who want get involved.
The team are holding regular litter-picking sessions on at least a monthly basis, the next session is on Sunday (8 November 2020), if not more often. These will run between 1pm and 3pm, with a base on ‘Bangla Square’ – the paved area at the junction of Rowland Place, Lady Pit Lane, and Stratford Street.
Attendees are welcome to join anytime during the events – or the team are also asking residents to take action locally anytime day or night, as part of a day-by-day campaign; if residents even just each pick up one piece of litter per day, it will make a huge difference.
For the events, all ages are welcome, although under 16s have to be accompanied. All kit is provided – but attendees are asked to bring their own face masks, and gloves if possible. Covid-safe procedures will be in place. For more info, visit fb.com/edgreenleeds.
Coordinator Ed Carlisle comments:
“We all surely want to live in clean neighbourhoods – and whilst we’re up against some big challenges, all the research shows that when people manage to create a tidier street or community, it largely stays that way.
“People are far less likely to drop litter or flytip when they don’t see other rubbish around. It’ll take time to change local habits, and turn the tide – but if we focus on one area like this, get as many people involved as possible, and keep at it, we can really bring about long-lasting change.”
It’s disgusting the way some people discard their rubbish and leave it for others to clean up ! My partner and myself will be joining in the litter pick to help clean up the streets.