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Litter picking group tackles root cause of problem

BBC Three female volunteers are stood in a Blackburn street next to a bin surrounded with full bin bags. They are all dressed in winter clothing and are holding litter picker sticks. One woman is holding a garden gnome which is wearing rainbow shorts and holding a rainbow flag.BBC
Volunteers now work with organisations to provide support

A group of Lancashire litter pickers have told how their role has expanded beyond picking up rubbish to helping local people in need - after they discovered the root causes of the issue.

Keep Blackburn Tidy was first set up to tackle litter in the town but the volunteers now help local people who have problems discarding waste.

Over time the group said they had come to understand there are complex reasons regarding why some people drop litter and the group now works with local services to provide support.

"It's just reaching out with that little bit of love saying there's somebody here to help out when you ready," said volunteer Jackie Floyd who is also a local councillor.

A rubbish bin ins full and surrounded by tied bin bags full of rubbish.
Keep Blackburn Tidy was first set up in 2018

"We know how to discreetly have those conversations and then link people up with the food bank and other organisations," she added.

Fellow volunteer Vicky Mcleish explained how they had helped one family who had recently moved into the area and faced fines for rubbish which was not their own.

"It was a single parent with three children and the bins were full when they moved in," she said.

"They didn't get the help to get their bins emptied and the whole back yard was full of rubbish. They didn't know where to turn.

"We took all the rubbish to the tip and that's all they needed that fresh start."

Over the past six years the group has collected more than 90,000 bags of litter and also works to save as much as possible from landfill by giving usable items a new lease of life.

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