Spring Clean North Lanarkshire and Edinburgh

Two of Scotland's biggest councils, North Lanarkshire and Edinburgh, have joined us in calling for local communities, businesses and schools to get involved with our Spring Clean challenge from 21 March - 21 April and help clean up Scotland.

Our research shows that 88% of Scots agree that litter is a problem across Scotland and 70% are concerned about the issue in their own neighbourhoods. Keep Scotland Beautiful, North Lanarkshire Council and Edinburgh Council are successfully working together on a number of projects to tackle the problem locally - including a Roadside Litter Campaign supported by McDonald’s and Costa in North Lanarkshire, and My Beach Your Beach, keeping Portobello Beach clean and safe.  

If you feel frustrated about the litter in your area or the places you visit, you can do something about it. Join us and help get rid of litter by taking part in Spring Clean Scotland, the perfect opportunity to make a difference by picking up litter in your local woods, streets, parks and beyond. Join in and help make Scotland cleaner and safer for people and animals.

Every action, however small, makes a difference. Just half an hour of picking up litter and disposing of it safely can help an area look cleaner and feel safer, and evidence shows it also prevents more litter being dropped. Why not organise a litter pick with friends, family, workmates or your wider community? Or find one to join in with on Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Clean Up Scotland map.

We know young people feel strongly about caring for the environment and want to do something about the harmful effects of litter in their communities. Your school can get involved too. As part of Spring Clean, there is a Live Lesson open to all schools across the UK. Over 300 schools in Scotland, including many in Edinburgh, have already signed up to learn about climate change and the action we can take to tackle it.

Barry Fisher, our CEO said, “Across Scotland we have seen a steady increase in the amount of litter over the past decade. While this is a real challenge, we are heartened by the incredible work of litter picking heroes up and down the country.

“Our communities already play a vital role in taking action to tackle litter. In Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire we have seen lots of people giving up their time to clean up their local areas despite the challenges of the last two years – we are delighted to be working with Councils to tackle this issue. We would love as many people as possible to join in and give Edinburgh a spring clean this March and April.

“For those that wish to take further action, The Scottish Government is currently consulting on a revised National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and you can still respond until the end of March and have #YourSayOnLitter.”

Edinburgh Council Environment Convenor, Councillor Lesley Macinnes said, “We’re very proud of our beautiful city and I’d encourage everyone to play their part and help us keep Edinburgh clean for everyone to enjoy.  Our teams have been extremely busy throughout the pandemic working to keep Edinburgh clean and tidy and I know they will greatly appreciate any help you’re able to offer.

“We’re very grateful to the litter pickers who already help us and do a fantastic job cleaning up beaches and other open spaces where they can. If you’d like to get involved our cleansing teams will provide you with the equipment you need to do so safely. We’ll also make sure the waste collected is taken away.

 “If you’re not able to be part of a litter pick remember you can still play your part by respecting our local communities and environment by using the bins provided or by taking your litter home with you.”

North Lanarkshire Council Convener of the Environment and Transportation Committee Councillor Michael McPake said, “Most people take a pride in their local community and want to keep it clean, so it is disappointing to see litter creating a mess on our streets. The council’s teams are out every day collecting litter and I know many residents and community groups who organise regular litter picks. It makes a real difference and I would encourage as many people as possible to join Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Spring Clean campaign and help keep North Lanarkshire a clean and attractive place to live, learn, work, invest and visit.”