PRAISE GIVEN TO SALFORD'S ARMY OF COMMUNITY LITTER VOLUNTEERS

Litter and fly tipping has become a problem nationwide and not only in Salford but there are good people out there who take the time and put in the effort to make a difference in their communities. 

Earlier in the month we awarded one such gentleman  and beloved member of his community, 'Fred', our community champion award for the phenomenal work he had done towards maintaining his own 'patch' in Barton.

Not too long afterwards we covered another story in which local volunteers managed to recover stolen mail that had been ditched in woodland during in a litter pick in Walkden.

So it always a fantastic thing to see Salford residents being praised for their support in tackling litter and we agree that they should be urged to carry on after lockdown restrictions ease.

More than 300 community groups have turned out in the last year to support the council in cleaning up the city.

Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, praised the volunteers and said he hoped they would continue in the future.

He said:

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“We’ve spent more than £5,000 on litter picking equipment and bags for the volunteers as well as removing the bags of rubbish they collect.

This is on top of investing in extra staff and vehicles and our own council staff working seven days a week, night and day, cleaning the streets, removing fly tipping and emptying our 1,800 litter bins. Some bins are now being emptied twice daily because our parks and green spaces have become so popular.

“There is no excuse for not disposing of waste properly. If the nearest bin is full take your rubbish with you to another bin or take it home.”

In 2019/20 1000 people were given fixed penalty notices or fines totalling £100,000 for littering or fly tipping.

For more information on how to help see: Salford Litter Heroes

Or on Facebook, join: Salford Litter Heroes - Posts (facebook.com)