More than 1000 volunteers took part in 31 community cleanups as the Renfrewshire community were inspired to take part in an action-packed weekend of events.
Almost 500 bags of rubbish were collected as pupils, volunteers, police, and local businesses and elected members worked side by side to brighten the local area and tackle the issue of littering.
Our main photo above shows environmental worker Grant Roderickson with the bags.
Renfrewshire’s Big Spring Clean was created as a part of the SNP administration’s Team Up to Clean Up campaign and the success of this weekend shows the continuing support for the campaign.
Photo: Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson joined Erskine Community Garden on a litter pick
Photo: Young and old help tackle the White Cart Riverbank in Renfrew
Litter picks were arranged across the area by schools and community groups, with Renfrewshire Council assisting by providing all the required equipment needed and removing the collected rubbish at the end of each event.
Donations of water, bananas and sweet treats for the volunteers who took part were made by local Morrisons, Tesco, McDonalds and Greggs outlets across the area.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “The level of support we have seen over this weekend has been incredible and has shown the breadth of support for our Team Up to Clean Up campaign.
Photo: Councillor Natalie Don, Depute Convener, Derek McKay MSP and Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board
Photo: Paisley Grammar pupils enjoy themselves in the sunshine
“Volunteers young and old turned out to work alongside each other to make a real difference to their local area and the event has been an undeniable success, with a noticeable increase in the cleanliness of all communities after the weekend’s efforts.
“We know there are still areas of improvements to be made but with the support of the community, and a desire to eradicate the problem, we will begin to see real results and this weekend shows what can be achieved when we work together.
“Improving the cleanliness of Renfrewshire is a key commitment for the Council and we will continue to do our bit to ensure our streets are cleaner and Renfrewshire is a brighter, more attractive place to live and work.
“Thank you to every volunteer who took part over the weekend. Please continue to harness that community spirit and work with us as we Team Up to Clean Up.”
Photo: Cllr Cathy McEwan, Convener of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Board and Depute Convener Cllr Natalie Don stand next to the 500 bags were collected
The SNP budget recently allocated £2.5 million over the next five years, to the Team Up to Clean Up campaign and environmental efforts. Investment over the last year has already seen a programme of increased gully cleaning, mechanical street sweeping, a strengthened Rapid Response Team and additional litter pickers however with increased investment, the SNP will be looking to take this even further.
Cllr Don, Depute Convener of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Board has stated that she hopes the results of the Big Spring Clean will be maintained in the future.
“Just under 500 bags of rubbish were collected by volunteers and while this is fantastic, I want to get to a stage where this level of litter is non-existent in Renfrewshire.”
“The council has a responsibility to maintain the fantastic work carried out by volunteers over the weekend and the SNP’s increased investment will allow the council to continue to invest in new ways to improve the cleanliness and appearance of our local environment.”
“As local residents however, we also have a responsibility too. We need to discourage the throw away culture which has developed and I hope that the visual presence of a huge number of local residents picking up litter in their area, may make people think twice in the future.
“It was fantastic to see many local businesses getting involved, with some even carrying out litter picks of their own. Education is key to the Team Up to Clean Up campaign; people have to understand that it is not ok to drop litter and the more attention the campaign gets, the more we will be able to get this message across. Thank you again, to everyone who got involved.”
More information on the campaigns initiatives, following the increased investment, will be available in the coming weeks. Although the Big Spring Clean weekend may now be over, the Team Up to Clean Up campaign continues with new litter picks being organised regularly.If you would like to get involved or for more information on the campaign, visitwww.renfrewshire.gov.uk/teamuptocleanup or join the Team Up to Clean Up Facebook group where you can keep up to date with the campaign and volunteers across Renfrewshire.
The campaign also aims to tackle the issue of dog fouling in the area and recently saw more than 50 responsible dog owners turn out for a mass dog walk in Robertson Park in Renfrew.
This followed a targeted streets initiative in which dog waste is spray painted with bright colours, warning messaging is painted sprayed onto the pavement, enforcement patrols are enhanced and signage is placed around the area to bring the issue to the attention of offenders within that street.
Photo: Cllr Stephen Burns, SNP Paisley Southwest
Main photo: Almost 500 bags were collected – pictured here with environmental worker Grant Roderickson