More than 1,000 volunteers in Renfrewshire take part in the first two weeks of Spotless September

Volunteers have been praised as more than 1,000 have taken part in a litter pick during the first two weeks of Renfrewshire's Spotless September!

Article Source: Renfrewshire Council
Last Updated: 24 September 2021 16:34

A mainstay of Renfrewshire Council’s award-winning Team Up to Clean Up campaign which asks the community to dedicate some time to making where they live cleaner and brighter, 1,763 bags of new and historic litter have been removed from the local environment.

As part of the Council’s commitment to the event, volunteers and schools are provided with sanitised litter pickers and equipment to take part in their litter picks, as well as information on how to stay safe while collecting and taking part during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The StreetScene team collect each bag of litter from volunteers at an agreed location after their litter picks and, as part of this year’s event, Council officers have been visiting primary schools throughout Renfrewshire to teach young people about the campaign.

The Team Up to Clean Up campaign has seen as additional £2.5million invested into improving the local environment in Renfrewshire and has seen the area’s street cleanliness improve significantly since its launch in 2017 – with the area now being well above the Scottish average and moving from 26th in Scotland to 13th last year.

Cllr McEwan with Castlehead High pupils

Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “While Team Up to Clean Up is a year-round campaign, the Spotless September event really does focus everyone’s energies into making our area cleaner and brighter and it continues to bring a renewed sense of pride in where we live.

“We’re working closely with volunteers to support them, as well as carrying out enhanced cleaning programmes of our own as part of the campaign, and this joint approach is proving hugely successful in the cleanliness of our area.

“I’ve been out litter picking as part of Spotless September and I can’t wait to get out again. Please join me and hundreds of others as we work hard to make Renfrewshire a more attractive place to live, work and visit.”

The award-winning Team Up to Clean Up campaign sees the Council and community join together to improve Renfrewshire’s local environment, with additional road sweeping, fly tipping removal, litter picking, and gully cleaning carried out by the Council and litter picking carried out by dedicated volunteers from the local community.

For more information, and to find out how to take part, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/SpotlessSeptember, email wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk or join the Team Up to Clean Up Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/teamuptocleanup