Volunteers can help tackle litter menace by signing up to Council's Adopt-A-Spot initiative
Posted on 23 Apr 2024
Jennifer Pless, second from left, with members of Irvine Clean Up Crew collecting litter
Volunteers are being encouraged to help improve litter blackspots and make our streets, parks and beaches better for everyone.
Littering creates an unnecessary mess in towns and villages, and North Ayrshire Council’s Adopt-A-Spot scheme has been set up to tackle eyesore sites.
The voluntary litter-picking scheme sees community volunteers working with the Council’s Streetscene team as individuals or groups of friends, workmates, neighbours or school classmates.
Council Streetscene Officer Martin Gorman explained: “The Adopt-A-Spot scheme offers more structured support to voluntary litter pickers across North Ayrshire.
“It is particularly applicable to groups of litter pickers who want to concentrate their efforts on a particular area like a park, a beach or a housing estate.”
Volunteers simply choose a spot – on Council-owned land, not private land – in a street, park, beach, path, business frontage or school route and keep it tidy.
The Council’s Streetscene team can:
- Supply groups with litter pickers and bags
- Arrange to collect full bags, and dispose of them, when a clean-up is finished
- Provide guidance on safety
- Offer guidance and help with any queries and
- Promote the great work that is being done by individuals and groups.
“The benefits of the Adopt-A-Spot initiative include a cleaner environment for everyone.
“Volunteering will make a tangible difference and set a great example to young people and other members of the public, showing that residents are prepared to volunteer and do their bit to help,” added Martin.
Jennifer Pless is chair of Irvine Clean Up Crew, which is a well-established community group of volunteers who care about their environment and arrange litter-picks to keep the town looking good.
She said: “We care about keeping the town tidy and looking lovely and beautiful for everybody to appreciate.
“We spend a lot of time cleaning the beach, and we also clean riverbanks, parks and streets.
“We are really about connecting and connections – not just with people, which is really important, but also with the land and where we live.
“We respect and love where we live, and want to ensure it is nice and clean for future generations. We don’t want to make a poor impact on the overall environment of this planet because it’s the only planet we’ve got!”
Jennifer would encourage anyone who is able and has time to consider becoming a volunteer litter picker.
“It is amazing, once you start, how much you can tidy up in a really short period of time. You can make a big impact in 20 minutes.
“It is everybody’s responsibility to keep where they live tidy, and to put their rubbish in the right bin,” she added.
To find our more and register for Adopt-A-Spot, go online to Voluntary litter picking (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)