The Great British Spring Clean
We live in a wonderful world - so why is it full of rubbish?
Do you remember the song, What a wonderful world, sung by Louis Armstrong? We have a wonderful world - but humans are making more and more of a mess in a lot of it.
And what a mess there is in Britain! Not everywhere, of course - but if you look at many of our roadsides, and our towns and cities, our villages and hills, increasingly there seems to be more and more rubbish. Where has the pride in Britain gone? What impact will rubbish have on our wildlife? How do we all feel about seeing it, day after day? Have we all become oblivious to it?
Britain needs a good spring clean - and there’s a chance to get involved for the sake of wildlife, if no-one else – from the 21st March to 6th April, with The Great British Spring Clean.
In 2024, #LitterHeroes pledged to pick over 425,000 bags of litter during The Great British Spring Clean, and the hope is to make the event even better and bigger in 2025!
Get all the latest litter-picking news and find out about campaigns and events. There's access to exclusive litter-picking resources, and you can also meet lots of litter-pickers on their Facebook community
Take action and change what you can.
In 2024, "97% of people surveyed after 2024's campaign agreed they felt they had made a difference to their local area, and 86% said they felt part of a national movement that is taking action to tackle litter. " Keep Britain Tidy
So far, 396,318.5 bags have been pledged already! (1st March 2024).
Litter kills about 3 million animals every year, according to an estimate based on Keep Britain Tidy Journal of Litter and Environmental Quality.
Please also make sure you dispose of your litter safely. Find a bin, take it home and get rid of it there.
Picking up litter and getting rid of it properly will make life safer for wildlife. They can think that rubbish is something to eat – so they do – and often with devastating results.
Did you know there's a Vintage Litter Museum to show how old litter can get? They have a bottle which was thrown away back in 1954! Visit the Museum's website here - it is based in the beautiful county of Suffolk in the UK.
The RSPCA say they receive about 10 calls a day because animals have been affected by litter. Animals can try to climb into plastic bags; they can eat them, get stuck in plastic can holders, or try to eat them, and try to swallow balloons. Vapes, glass, fishing tackle, elastic bands, containers and cans, balloons, sky lanterns – they are all potential hazards to wildlife.
Did you know we’re throwing away a vape every 8 seconds? Find out how to dispose of vapes here.
Here’s advice from the RSPCA about what to do if you find an injured wild animal
Lend a paw - bin your litter!
National Highways also has a campaign called Lend a paw – bin your litter. Litter thrown away out of cars and near the road encourages animals to move to road areas hoping for food – which puts them in danger and also puts motorists in danger as people may swerve to avoid wildlife. Find out more.
My friends, it was too late for the bird on the left.
This bird got tangled up in balloon ribbon.
Please don't let it be too late for me or any more wildlife.
Please help keep us safe.
Let's all have a clean wonderful world to live in!
Please join in The Great British Spring Clean.
Let’s face it, litter also looks awful and means that much needed money has to be diverted to clearing it when it could be put to much better use, if litter didn’t exist in the first place.
WIldife could really use all our help in cleaning up the wonderful world we live in. Please join thousands of others, get involved and let’s keep animals and ourselves and our world safe and cared for! Join the Great British Spring Clean today!
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