By Maria Regina Santos Semedo
An army of litter-pickers are busy across Leicestershire to tackle the huge problem which has been growing across the country since lockdown began.
Being stuck at home as a consequence of the pandemic, people find themselves walking around more, ordering takeaways, and enjoying every chance they have to hang out outdoors, leaving their rubbish behind.
The growing problem made groups all over Leicestershire stand up and do something about it – literally with their own hands.
A member of Coleorton Litter Wombles, a team dedicated to keeping the countryside clean and litter-free, said: “Mainly due to people having more time on their hands, groups have decided to tackle the problem as the council does not have the manpower to help.”
The ‘wombling’ group have been going for a long time, but lockdown has made the litter problem much worse.
Some people go out daily while others go at weekends when they have spare time. The Leicestershire County Council, for example, provides ‘womblers’ with a kit to help keep them safe.
The council published on its website details about the initiative and how to apply, saying: “We appreciate the dedication these groups have to keep Leicestershire litter-free and protect our environment and are proud to offer them this initiative.”
The penalty for someone littering can go up to £2,500, but several members of this group think that to make people get better educated about the effects of throwing rubbish and how it destroys the wildlife, heavier fines and punishments need to be handed out to the offenders.
The Environment Protection Team is committed to look after the physical environment and providing information for future generations by offering free workshops tackling littering, graffiti issues, and several other matters.
Each area of Leicester has its own Facebook page and they are open to anyone to join, the project being supported by the district and county councils.
Anyyone can organise their own litter-picks or just join an existing one in their closest area. It is also possible to be a Green Footprints Litter Picker, by emailing customer.service@nwleicestershire.gov.uk or call 01530 454545, quoting “Community Litter Pick” or “Green Footprints Litter Picker”.
