Council's waste company joins forces with local litter picking groups

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Residents, alongside East Cambs Street Scene (ECSS), are armed to contribute in this year’s Great British Spring Clean and tackle littering across the district.

ECSS, a trading company of East Cambridgeshire District Council responsible for waste collection and street cleansing, has been working closely with local organised litter picking groups to assist in creating a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire.

Equipment such as litter pickers, hoops and rubbish bags, as well as high vis and gloves have been provided by ECSS to litter picking groups.

As part of the support provided to groups, ECSS also collects all waste which has been picked up and supplies stickers for groups to mark collected litter so it is not mistaken as fly-tipping.

The campaign, run by Keep Britain Tidy, takes place every year and encourages residents to look after the environment.

Litter picking events have been organised across the district and will take place throughout the campaign which ends on June 13.

Councillor David Ambrose Smith, Chairman of the Operational Services Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “As a Council, we work incredibly hard to ensure the district is free from litter and we are grateful to all of the residents who share this passion and go out of their way to keep their open spaces and streets litter free by disposing of their waste responsibility or clearing litter left by others.

“The Great British Spring Clean serves as a reminder that we all have to play our part to keep parks, open spaces and streets clean and free of litter and I would urge all residents to think twice before deciding to leave waste behind.”

As part of the Great British Spring Clean, ECSS will undertake a purge on litter across the district throughout next week. 

Councillor Julia Huffer, Member Champion for Waste and Recycling, as well as Climate Change and the Natural Environment at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “This year, the Great British Spring Clean focusses on litter picking heroes and that is exactly what we have here in East Cambridgeshire.

“I would like to thank our communities and local businesses for all of the hard work they are doing to create a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire.”

Throughout the Great British Spring Clean, a number of litter picking events have been organised across the district.

Events are confirmed to take place on June 4 in Littleport, June 6 in Wicken and on June 12 in Sutton and Ely with many more also planned across the district.

To find out where your nearest litter pick is taking place and how to get involved, contact ECSS via waste@eastcambs.gov.uk or Ely Litter Pickers via Facebook.

Residents can report incidents of littering via the Council’s website. 

You can find out more about the Great British Clean and how to get involved on the Keep Britain Tidy website.