What is the Great British Spring Clean?

The Great British Spring Clean isn't just about tidying up your own space—it's a movement aimed at revitalizing entire communities. Inspired by the desire to make our surroundings cleaner, safer, and more pleasant for everyone, this campaign encourages individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to come together and take action. The Great British Spring Clean and the Great Big School Clean run from the 15th of March to the 31st March in 2024.

Why Community Spring Cleaning Matters

This year the message from Keep Britain Tidy is that the environment belongs to everyone. They ask everyone to become a #litterhero and to make a contribution to keep the country clean and free of rubbish. This can be on a small scale, just picking up one piece of litter a day, or by picking a bag of litter up. It also is an opportunity for schools, businesses, and community groups to consider their impact on the environment and to put in place measures to minimise littering and to create a positive environmental impact. At Parking Shop Direct we stock a range of products that are designed to make this an easier job.

Litter Picking Equipment

Having the right litter picking equipment to hand is an easy way to keep your area free of rubbish. It's quicker, safer and more enjoyable to use a litter picker and a rubbish bag hoop to collect waste. We recommend that litter pickers wear high vis as they make the collections, this highlights to the community that someone is working hard to keep the area clean and creates a sense of civic responsibility. It is also well documented that if a place is littered other people are more likely to litter there. If it is rubbish free people are less likely to drop rubbish.

Litter Bins

One of the most common reasons that people drop litter is that they are not near a bin. Providing rubbish bins outside your workplace or in an area that people congregate is a straightforward way to reduce litter dropping and to encourage responsible disposal of waste. We have a range of rubbish bins that includes a hard wearing Plaswood bin made from recycled plastic, a combined ash and rubbish bin, and wall mounted rubbish bins. See the full range of litter bins here.

Stub Stores

Cigarette butts are the most littered item globally. They are also toxic for the environment and small so they can easily get into drains and into grassed areas. Changing the behaviour of smokers can be as simple as providing them with outdoor ashtrays or with stub stores, small, inexpensive pouches that can be carried in a bag and used to dispose of cigarette butts when smokers are out and about. We can also create a branded version for you, please contact our team for more information.

Getting Involved in the Great Big Spring Clean

The easiest way to get involved in the Great Big Spring Clean by motivating your community to do a communal litter pick. Your community can pledge to pick a certain amount of bags of litter. Last year pledges were made to collect 400,000 bags of litter. That's an incredible amount of rubbish! It's not just about collecting rubbish either there are lots of personal advantages to collecting litter and being part of a team.

  1. Physical Health: Getting out in the fresh air and getting your body moving is good for you.
  2. Mental Well-being: Being part of a team, and taking an action with a demonstrable result is great for mental health and eco anxiety.
  3. Community Pride: A clean, attractive community fosters a sense of pride among residents and encourages positive social interactions.
  4. Environmental Impact: Proper disposal of waste and recycling efforts contribute to environmental sustainability.
  5. If you would like some more inspiration to get out there, take a look at some of the surprising reasons that people litter pick.
  1. Great British Spring Clean Awards

  2. If you know a litter picking team or individual that are making a really amazing contribution you can nominate them for a Great British Spring Clean award. It's a wonderful way to acknowledge the importance of the work being done and to celebrate community spirit.

  4. Organise a Litter Pick

  6. If you'd like to find out more about how to organise a litter pick, take a look at our informative blog on how to start a litter picking group. It's got all the info that you need to successfully run a litter pick, from insurance considerations to how to safely dispose of the rubbish you've collected.