ORGANISERS of two litter picking groups in Taunton set up an event to encourage people to tidy up the town.
Sophie Kneeshaw, who runs the Show me your rubbish litter picking group, has teamed up with Tim Walker, who runs Tidy Up Taunton, to organise The Big Taunton Spring Clean.
The clean started on April 3 and is running until April 11 - and anyone can get involved.
“We felt that there had been a massive increase in the amount of litter around during lockdown, and so wanted to get Taunton looking great ready for lockdown easing so everyone can enjoy our beautiful county town,” said Tim.
“Litter picking is a vital part of protecting our planet. For every piece of litter dropped there is a chance it could end up adding to the amount of plastic filling our oceans.
“It also takes most litter a staggering length of time to break down, a plastic drinks bottle can take anywhere between 500-1000 years to disintegrate, and even then it just turns into micro-plastics which are harmful to everyone.
“Litter picking groups are important because they cultivate a sense of community, and inspire people to take pride and care of their surroundings, whether that is up and down their own street, or in a local park.”
More than ten groups of people picked up rubbish over Easter weekend, Tim has three litter picks planned this week and Sophie is doing one every day.
“We’re both really proud of how people have been engaging with the Spring Clean, and we will definitely make it an annual occurrence,” added Tim.
“Tidy Up Taunton organises a litter pick once a month, usually on a Sunday for a couple of hours, and Show Me Your Rubbish goes litter picking every Thursday evening for an hour. We tackle a wide variety of areas, from parks such as Frenchweir, Victoria and Hamilton, to car parks and around the Hankridge area.
“I feel really proud to see so many people coming out to help, and make a stand against litter, that it isn’t acceptable, and we’re not prepared to let our beautiful town be spoilt by a few thoughtless individuals.”
You can share photos of your litter pick on the Facebook even page at facebook.com/events/2905908316398892.
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