UKC

At heart my wife and I are a walking family. Except our children are unwilling participant. Well, they are willing, but only to a point. A very short point as it happens. This then results in lots of child carrying.

But we've learnt something which is revolutionary and needs to be shared far and wide.

Give those same reluctant kids a plastic bag each and some litter picking thingumabobs, and they will walk for miles. And they love it.

It's a win win, the kids are happy. The outdoors is tidier. We get to go on longer walks.

And it's not just our kids, a family down the road are doing it and we got the idea from them after our kids nagged to pick litter also after spotting them.

I suggest all parents give it a go, let's mobilise 10 million kids in this effort.

Kids love a litter picker! One of the centres I work at has some and we sometimes do a beach clean with them. They all get really excited about the litter pickers. Not sure why they are so popular, but they really are!

I was assuming this thread was some sort of proposal for breaking the Birmingham strike.

But, yes, I’m sure the technique you propose would work.

jcm

It's a mystery to me. 

Hmmm, interesting idea.

We have a very active local litter picking group, it's both rewarding and deeply depressing at the same time. It's also highly sociable and we have won two environmental awards.

Excellent!!

Not only that, but you've teaching them a respect for their environment too. Much less likely to litter if they've enjoyed picking it up before. A great idea

There are a few litter picking groups round our way who do a fantastic job but like you say it's depressing that it's needed.

I don't understand this I don't need it so I will drop it here mentality.

We had a local litter-picking group.  It was magnificent and won awards.  The Council employee who supported it soon had to go to the council and ask for an increase in his landfill allowance, because he'd used it all.  The council gave us purple bin bags and litter pickers.  Local businesses contributed hi-vis tabards and more litter-pickers.  Everyone (200 in the group in total) would go out and fill bin bags.  A co-ordinator would let the council guy know where the bin bags were - usually strung out along a road, in places where a van with flashing lights could pull in reasonably safely to collect them in the next day or so.   The volunteers put in thousands and thousands of hours work and the place was transformed. 

Then the council guy changed.  The new guy decided that it was dangerous for a van with flashing lights to pull in and pick up bags, and therefore volunteers would have to carry the full bags along the same dangerous roads to a point next to a council litter bin or salt bin.  Have a wild guess at how regular those are.   So we're going to have to put bin bags, and car tyres, and broken wing mirrors, and plasterboard, and dildos, and bottles of piss, in the back of our cars to take them to a litter bin - because those are magically more safe than a cage van with flashing lights? You have got to be fking joking.  And that was that.  What a see you next tuesday he is.

Very depressing, our council, (Durham) are very helpful and recognise how valuable our free manpower is. We get free bags and litter pickers. We do manhandle full bags to one sensible pick up point each time however and notify the location to the council. 

In fairness though our founder is a council employee with some clout and common sense.

The group was founded post covid by the local church, I'm a non-church going atheist but they're a lovely bunch, I met them in the park one Sunday and have been active for about three years. 

That would make for a great episode of The Wombles