Over 20 people turned out for the litter pick on Saturday 7 March which was organised ahead of the start of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean. Running from 13 – 29 March, the national campaign calls upon volunteers to carry out litter picks in their community.

During the event, volunteers including villagers and Gisleham Parish Councillors helped clear roads and lanes in the area, resulting in 24 bags of litter being collected. The event also gave them the opportunity to report fly-tipping incidents to East Suffolk Council, with items including two sofas, boxes of tiles and construction waste found.

Cllr Letitia Smith, ward member for Carlton Colville organised the event in response to litter becoming more of a problem in the area. She said: “We were shocked to see how much litter we’d collected in just a couple of hours, but it proves that by working as part of a larger group you can make a difference to the problem. We hope our event encourages more people to take part in a litter pick in their communities as we can all do our bit to keep our communities looking their best.”

Cllr Sally Noble, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for the Environment, said: “We’d like to thank the community of Gisleham for their fantastic teamwork and for organising this litter picking event. From protecting East Suffolk’s wildlife to instilling local pride, every bag of waste collected makes a difference and by removing litter it discourages others from dropping their waste.

“We want to remind everyone that the council can support groups to carry out litter picks by providing them with tools and support to get started. By joining together, we can all make a lasting on our community’s pride and beauty – so thank you for helping to keep East Suffolk looking its best.”

Communities interested in carrying out litter picks can register their event to borrow equipment and to request the collection of waste online at https://my.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/service/Litter_Pick_registration

Fly tipping can be reported to East Suffolk Council’s Environmental Protection Team online at https://my.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/en/service/Flytipping_or_litter_Report or by contacting our Customer Services team by phoning 03330 162 000 or emailing [email protected] 

Make a Great British Spring Clean pledge at www.keepbritaintidy.org/our-work/eliminating-litter/great-british-spring-clean

Pictured: Cllr Letitia Smith and members of the Gisleham Parish Council