Communities urged to support Great British Spring Clean as Keep Britain Tidy celebrates 70th birthday

Keep Britain Tidy is hoping that more people than ever will support this year’s Great British Spring Clean - the country’s biggest environmental campaign - by making a 'Platinum Pledge' on its website to mark its 70th year.

 

In 2023, around 350,000 volunteers in every corner of the country collected more than 400,000 bags of litter from our streets, parks and beaches.

 

Some of that rubbish will have been polluting our environment for much of the seven decades that Keep Britain Tidy has been in existence.

 

One volunteer, during a beach clean in 2021 on Bawdsey Beach in Suffolk, found a plastic bottle that was produced in 1954 – the same year Keep Britain Tidy was founded by the Women’s Institute - and was still recognisable a full 70 years later.

 

This year, the charity is asking people to make a #PlatinumPledge from today on its website. to pick up as much litter as they can, removing tonnes of plastic from our environment.

 

The campaign runs from March 15th – 31st  and at the same time, thousands of schools will be taking part in the Great Big School Clean, learning about the impact litter has on our wildlife and seeing for themselves the difference that small actions, when taken together, can make a big difference.

 

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Every year, we are blown away by the incredible work done by communities, schools, voluntary organisations, businesses and local authorities to support the Great British Spring Clean.

 

“Our collective efforts remove thousands of tonnes of litter from our environment and send the message to those who persist in thoughtlessly polluting it that littering is not socially acceptable and has to stop, for the sake of all the places we call home.

 

“Seventy years ago, the formidable leaders of the Women’s Institute recognised that our beautiful country was becoming littered. Fast forward to 2024 and the problem is still with us, fueled by lifestyle changes and ever-increasing consumption-on-the-go.”

 

Much of the litter that volunteers collect is a result of our seemingly endless appetite for drinking on the go.

 

70% of litter by volume is made up of plastic and glass bottles and aluminium cans.

 

Allison added: “We know that we could tackle the problem of drinks-related litter very effectively with a deposit return scheme – something we are waiting to see introduced in this country as it has been around the world in countries including Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Romania, Australia and the United States.

 

“Until this happens, we are asking the great British public to help us remove as many of them as possible from the environment.”

 

Supporting the cause is Calisen Group, which owns, installs and manages essential energy infrastructure, driven by its vision of smarter energy for all.

 

The Group's CEO, Sean Latus, comments: “At Calisen we want to support communities and we know that how the local environment looks and feels affects people’s quality of life and well-being, as well as the neighbourhood's house prices and inward investment.

 

“We are thrilled, as a group, to join forces with Keep Britain Tidy to support the Great British Spring Clean and empower local people to take ownership of their communities, as well as enlisting our workforce to lead by example.”

 

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: "Congratulations to Keep Britain Tidy on its platinum anniversary.

 

“We are delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are able to support the Great British Spring Clean - a groundbreaking environmental campaign that unites communities, schools, businesses and more, who share the common goal of tackling the litter blighting our towns and cities.

 

“Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £4,725,000 for Keep Britain Tidy, and we look forward to seeing the effects of the hard work of #LitterHeroes up and down the country on our streets, coastlines and parks, and we hope funding continues to make a positive impact on the environment.”

 

This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to media partner Clear Channel, headline partner Calisen and supporting partners Coca-Cola, KFC, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Pepsi MAX and Walkers. We also thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising funds to support this campaign.

 

To find out more and to make a pledge please visit: www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean