Together we can make Salford a cleaner, greener and safer environment: Salford Litter Heroes pledge for the prevention of litter being dropped in the streets
Salford Litter Heroes was created back in April 2019 by Danielle Wright and since then has collected on average 1000 bags of litter every month in a pledge to help get Salford and the surrounding Boroughs cleaner.
The organisation is completely volunteer based and relies on funding from charitable donations from the public. They also work closely with Salford City Council who have funded litter picking equipment, such as, litter picks, bags and gloves. The council have also provided more bins around the city in order to help reduce the amount of litter on the streets.
Carol Davies, a Salford Litter Hero volunteer said: “What we want to try and do is prevent litter being dropped in the first place”. Carol goes out every weekend picking up litter from the streets. She also said that they have been trying to reach out to schools and businesses to help promote the idea of prevention in order to create a cleaner, greener and safer environment.
The coronavirus pandemic has had its ups and downs for the group but Carol said “everybody seems to be litter picking which is great”. As most people have been working from home, litter picking is a great way to get yourself or the family outside and exercising. It is also highly addictive as you want to keep the area you have cleaned free of litter.
However, the amount of PPE being littered is concerning for the organisation. The strings on the masks are very dangerous for wildlife as they can get tangled in them and therefore can cause the animals harm, something which needs to be prevented as quick as possible.
In their most recent aim to raise money, the organisation raised £555 on a crowdfunder page. Money which will help the volunteers, get more equipment out to helpers and to get more people out on the streets of Salford picking up litter.
To get involved in litter picking, you can sign up for your free kit via the Salford City Council website where you can become a ‘Salford Street Champion’ and help get involved in the prevention of litter being left on the streets of Salford.
People have also posted their gratefulness to the organisation on Facebook. One member, Peter Gunn, said: “Thanks for helping to make Salford a more pleasant city to live in.”
Alex Channon, a new member of group, who recently attended a group event at Queensmere Dam said: “The work of the group is wonderful and certainly helps keeps the areas of Salford far tidier than they were.” He also added that joining the group has inspired him to go out by himself and litter pick in his local area.
Furthermore, you can also join the Facebook page @salfordlitterheroes and post about your litter picks and find people in your area to join forces with. There are also group events to partake in which can be found on the events page.
Together, we can keep Britain tidy and create a greener environment.
