MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL LAUNCHES KEEP BORO TIDY

A CALL for everyone in Middlesbrough to "do their bit" has been made as a major clean-up of the town is set to begin.

Middlesbrough Council is hosting a number of litter picks at its parks and community hubs as part of a new ongoing initiative that offers the public to opportunity to help tidy up the town.

To coincide with Keep Britain Tidy's annual spring clean campaign which launches Friday, May 28, the council is launching a brand new campaign called Keep Boro Tidy and Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston has urged the whole town to get on board and ‘pitch in'.

Middlesbrough residents, businesses, and community groups are being urged to organise their own litter-picks to help to tackle Middlesbrough's problem with litter.

As well as this, residents can also take part in other activities to keep areas looking clean and tidy such as weeding, verge tidying or alley cleaning, and people can even offer to give a coat of paint to park railings or street furniture.

Residents can let the council know any other ideas they have to help spruce up local communities and the council will work with them to bring their ideas to life.

Equipment such as litter picking tongs and bags will be provided by the council, and activities can be done alone, in pairs or in larger groups of friends, colleagues or families.

In 2019, the council led a similar campaign to encourage a town wide clean-up which saw hundreds of volunteers taking part, including a visiting church community group from Texas who helped to clean up around the North Ormesby Community Hub.

Mayor Andy Preston said: "The sad truth is that across the country, and here in Middlesbrough, our environment is being ravaged by litter. It looks a total mess and it also damages our wildlife and their habitats. 

"Middlesbrough Council's Environment Services teams and our local community groups truly do a fantastic job day in day out, but it's just not enough to keep on top of every bit of litter, or every bit of overgrown weeding that just needs a bit of attention.

"We need the public to get on board and do their bit too.

"It might sound like a lot to ask but in truth, it's literally everyone's responsibility to take care of our town and our environment.

"We can't take the approach of ‘I don't drop litter therefore I'll leave it where it is' - that is not the right attitude, we all need to do our bit to make Middlesbrough a better place to live."

The campaign begins Friday 28 May to coincide with the start of Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean 2021 event (from 28 May to 13 June), and will continue into the future to provide a unique town-wide approach to keep Middlesbrough tidy.

There's also a number of council organised litter picks at Middlesbrough's parks and community hubs, the first one is this Saturday from 10am to 1pm at both Pallister Park and Thorntree Park, followed by Albert Park 5 June and Stewart Park 12 June.

The full list of litter picking events can be found at www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/keepborotidy

To get involved, email cleanup@middlesbrough.gov.uk

The public's involvement will complement the continuing efforts of local community groups and the council's Environment Services teams who work 365 days a year.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: "The Great British Spring Clean would not be possible without the support of local authorities, including Middlesbrough Council.

"Whether you commit to do five minutes or five hours, every single pledge will help us reach our million-mile target and clear many tonnes of litter pollution from our environment."

ENDS

Press Notice 6507 26/05/21

Issued by Anne-Marie O'Donnell, Marketing Officer on 01642 727698.

www.middlesbrough.gov.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Picture captions

Pn6507 Keep Boro Tidy 1 - Litter picking event in 2019 at North Ormesby Hub with visiting helpers from Texas.

Pn6507 Keep Boro Tidy 2 - Helpers in Newport at the launch of the 2019 town-wide clean up event.