Volunteer litter pickers tackle rubbish in park

August 23 2021
Volunteer litter pickers tackle rubbish in park

Volunteers gathered for a litter pick to tidy up an area of Battenhall Park alongside Duck Brook.

Organiser Tom Piotrowski said: “I'm grateful to a small band of volunteers who came along to this litter pick.”

He added: “It’s surprising how much litter we picked in a seemingly litter-free area.

“Some of it was blown into bushes by wind but there was quite a bit of rubbish in plain sight.

“It highlights a couple of things for me. First, how easy it is to mess things up in our natural surrounding by being careless or irresponsible with our litter.

“Secondly, it's staggering how much plastic we have picked up over a short period of time.

“It literally takes centuries for plastic to decompose and it saddens me how those responsible for leaving it behind don't seem to care.

“I think going plastic free is going to be one of our biggest challenges in the future if we don’t want to be choked by it.”

Cecilia Pearce, of Bath Road, said: “We all enjoy our beautiful spaces in Battenhall and St Peter’s.

“Seeing rubbish strewn across them is not only sad but, quite frankly, irritating because it jars with how beautiful those spaces look and how appreciative we all should be of them.

“We can all play our part by being vigilant when we see littering.

“Community litter picks are a brilliant way of gathering like-minded residents around a useful community goal.”

Mr Piotrowski said: “I’d love to not only make these litter picks a more regular occurrence across Battenhall and St Peter’s but also combine them with educational projects for schoolchildren and fitness opportunities for residents.”

People interested in joining a future litter pick can contact Mr Piotrowski at tom@tompiotrowski.co.uk.