Herald launches clean-up campaign

9:15am Friday 9th May 2008

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The Craven Herald is spearheading a clean-up campaign to make our green and pleasant district that bit more green and pleasant.

We are offering villages wanting to organise a litter-picking day the chance to have their event highlighted in the paper.

The move follows a number of such community events and the Herald hopes to encourage those thinking about organising one to get their gloves on and get out there.

Litter in the hedgerows and streets has been a thorn in many people's sides for years.

And, while most appreciate the district council is limited in the manpower it can provide to get clean-up gangs out and about, the litter continues to mount.

When villagers get together and organise a clean-up day, the results can be astounding.

In Upper Wharfedale, for instance, collections along the roadside raked in a mountain of empty vodka bottles.

Grassington litter pickers collected 30 empty vodka bottles from the roadside between Skipton and Grassington, while another 50 bottles were collected between Threshfield and the Arncliffe lane end by volunteers from Kettlewell.

Then, last Wednesday, a group from Hawkswick went out to clear up their roadsides and were staggered to find a similar haul from the hedgerows.

Parishioner Richard Hargreaves said: "Since the prospect of Craven District Council or North Yorkshire Highways Department having the manpower, money or inclination to come and clean the road verges was minimal, members at a recent parish meeting decided to do it themselves.

"A team of seven Hawkswick residents set out in two directions around Windbank, the Lane End, the Arncliffe Road and Outgang Lane. In a little over an hour-and-a-half the stuff picked up or dragged out of the road verges filled 15 sacks, made a pile of wheel trims and other bits of cars and produced no fewer than 38 empty vodka bottles, plus the smashed remains of two or three others, to take to the recycling centre."

And he mused: "Who is the phantom vodka drinker and bottle thrower living in or visiting the dale?"

The Herald knows from our Neighbourhood News columns that people in all the villages are keen to see their landscape kept tidy.

We now want to help those people organise a litter-picking day in their own village which we will highlight in the paper.

Craven District Council has agreed to support the Herald's campaign and assist villagers with the loan of litter-picker devices and will make arrangements with organisers to collect the filled bags from a designated spot.

Paul Florentine, the council's waste and recycling manager, said: "We will, of course, support any groups that want to do some litter-picking of their own. We have nine employed verge patrol people who go around the district doing a good job, but it is a little like the Forth Bridge. It can be never-ending.

"We have some litter-pickers/grabbers people can borrow and we can liaise with groups to collect the filled bags.

"I'm perfectly willing for the organisers to get in touch with me at the district council offices so we can arrange collection. As long as there are no more than, say, two a week it shouldn't be a problem."

On a safety note, Mr Florentine is asking people not to put broken glass or sharp objects in the bags and, where possible, place them in a container for separate disposal.

Several parish and town councils have said they want to organise local litter picks.

Embsay-with-Eastby members have organised a "Litter Pick Day" on Sunday after a suggestion from a resident at a parish council meeting.

Success will depend on the amount of community interest. The litter pick will run from 10am until noon and anyone interested in joining in should meet at the Cavendish car park.

* If you are organising something, let us know and we will highlight it in the Herald for you. Call our Newsdesk on 01756 794117.

* To liaise with the district council to organise the pick-up of bags, ring Mr Florentine on 01756 706320.