Park Clean Up For Little Litter League

The Little Litter League got together to clean the locality whilst promoting cleaner neighbourhoods.

The group of youngsters were joined at Barking Park by volunteers Emdad Rahman, Grace Kelly and Zoinul Abidin, Head of LBBD Universal Services.

Young people supported by adults took part in an organised litter pick to collect almost twenty bags of rubbish in an hour.

The idea behind initiatives organised by the Little Litter League is to encourage young people to take pride in their neighbourhoods whilst using positive and practical examples to educate and inspire others.

Littering in Britain has increased by over 500% since the 1960s and the main driver of this is fast-food. The fast-food culture in Britain has contributed to a “grab and eat on the go” society.

More than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day. The cost to the taxpayers for street cleaning is over £1 billion a year.

Litter is anything from a crisp packet or cigarette butt to a bag of rubbish. All litter is unsightly and makes local areas look untidy and uncared for. Common litter items include fast-food packaging, sweet wrappers, drinks cans, bottles and cigarette butts.

Litter does not clean itself away. It can take years to degrade, causing harm to wildlife and habitats. Food people drop – whether it is half-eaten burgers, chips or apple cores – can attract pigeons and vermin such as rats.

Research shows litter contributes to further crime and that people feel less safe in areas that are littered.

Whether on your own or as part of a group, litter-picking is an easy and fun way to get active, improve your wellbeing, and take care of the environment on your doorstep.