June 13th – Organise a Community Clean Up (Suggested Activity)
What You Need:
- Bin bags
- Litter pickers
- Gloves
- Face masks
- Waste disposal management for full bin bags
Steps:
Get your neighbours involved
Reach out to your neighbours and form a group for your clean up. Whether it’s 5 people or 25, getting any number of people involved is brilliant and can make a massive positive change in your community.
Get in touch with your neighbours by setting up a WhatsApp, Facebook or email group and asking them all to join. Put up posters about your clean-up and pass flyers through letterboxes to spread the word.
Choose a date & time
Hold a poll of suggested dates in your group to see when would suit best for everyone. Starting earlier in the day is best as there are less people around and less traffic, making it easier and safer to go out and collect rubbish.
Register with An Taisce
Register your litter picking group online with An Taisce on their official National Spring Clean website. They are running the government’s national spring cleaning initiative and can provide helpful resources such as clean-up kits.
Contact your local authority
Contact your local authority and they will help to organise the free disposal of the waste you collect at your clean up. Some also provide gloves, bin bags and litter pickers so be sure to make inquiries. Click here to see a handy list of contact numbers for local authorities nationwide.
Come up with a system
It will be helpful if you have a system in mind for your clean up event. We suggest breaking up into smaller groups to tackle different areas in the community faster. Sort out the litter you collect as you go- use different bags to collect recycling and general rubbish.
Be proud of your work!
Taking the time out of your day to contribute and make positive change in your community is a truly brilliant thing. Encourage your group to take pride in their work. After your clean up, have a cup of tea together and take the opportunity to get to know your neighbours.