Back for its eighth year, the Great British Spring Clean and the Great British School Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign and takes place from 17 March to 2 April 2023. Last year, amazing #LitterHeroes pledged to pick nearly half a million bags of litter in the UK as part of the Great British Spring Clean 2023.
The Mayor of Surrey Heath Cllr Helen Whitcroft, Members of Chobham Parish Council, local school children, Keep Britain Tidy volunteers, SHBC Officers and staff from our partner organisations, Accent, Joint Waste Solutions and Amey, joined Michael Gove, Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in Chobham on Friday 17 March for a productive litter pick.
Litter-picking is a simple action that anyone can do to make an immediate and visible difference to their area – 85% of those who took part in last year’s Great British Spring Clean reported that taking part made them feel more pride in their local area. And 74% said it improved their mood too!
Councillor Colin Dougan, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Heath, SHBC, said;
“Many thanks to everyone who is taking part in litter picking for the Great British Spring Clean this year and also to those residents who take the time to litter pick throughout the year. Unfortunately, some people do still drop litter across our borough which causes our spaces to look untidy and also causes environmental damage to the plants and wildlife.
Please put your litter in a bin or take it home with you to keep Surrey Heath a pleasant and clean place. If you see fly-tipping you can report it via the link below. SHBC’s Enforcement Team will enforce if they can find evidence of the perpetrators and our Green Space Team will arrange for the fly tip to be cleared.”
How you can take part in the Great British Spring Clean
If you want to take action to protect the environment this spring and show more pride in where you live, join the Great British Spring Clean and pledge to pick up a bag – or more – today. Find out more and sign up on the Keep Britain Tidy website (external link).
How to report Fly Tipping in Surrey Heath
Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. It is anti-social and can cause pollution of the environment and be a physical danger to animals and human beings, spoils the local neighbourhoods and our quality of life.
Waste that is fly-tipped comes in various types such as: garden refuse and green waste; rubbish; large domestic items, washing machines, fridges, sofas and mattresses; furniture; tyres, asbestos and clinical waste.
Large fly tips of waste from construction, demolition, excavation and property renovation activities, which can at times block the highway, prove a serious hazard to the safety of road users, together with the pollution to the environment and animals.
The type of fly tip and size of it can vary dramatically from a single bag of rubbish to large quantities of waste which are dumped from trucks whilst driving along the road.
Waste is found fly tipped in various types of locations such as: verges beside the road, in lay-bys, on the public highway, on private land and even beside the provided bins at recycling sites.
Find out more and how to report fly tipping on our environmental offences webpage.
SHBC - Driving Improvement across the borough
SHBC’s 'Driving Improvement' campaign focuses on improving key aspects of life in Surrey Heath. The Council is engaging with local people and working with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping across the Borough, and working to protect and enhance the environment, making Surrey Heath an even better place to live.
- Antisocial Behaviour (ASB): For more information on dealing with ASB visit our Environment section.
- Protecting and enhancing the environment. Read more about our climate change and sustainability work on our website .