< Back to '27th July 2022' briefing
July 26, 2022
Litter pick hubs
Last weekend, I saw a tweet telling of a litter pick along my local cycle path organised by Ukrainian refugees as their way of saying thank you for the welcome they’ve received in Edinburgh. I like an occasional litter pick so I went along. Despite the language barriers between us, litter picking is an oddly effective way of connecting positively with people who don’t know one another and this one was no different. Litter- picks are by nature community led which is why Glasgow City Council’s recent initiative to establish community litter pick hubs may just take off.
The locations of all the hubs can be found on an interactive map on the council’s website.
Glasgow council have set up 62 community litter picking hubs in a bid to encourage locals to keep the city tidy.
The lockable storage units have been installed at community centres, schools, coffee shops, and parks across Glasgow and are stocked with litter pickers, disposable gloves, high-visibility vests, bag hoops, refuse bags and disinfectant wipes.
Local community groups will manage the clean-up equipment and storage units and volunteers can request access to the equipment by emailing them.
The locations of all the hubs and information on how to access the equipment can be found on an interactive map on the council’s website.
The litter picking hubs were jointly funded by Glasgow City Council, Keep Scotland Beautiful and McDonald’s.
The council confirmed on Wednesday that the 62 hubs were now in place and equipment can be borrowed for free by anyone who is keen to do a litter pick in their area.
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, city convener for neighbourhood services and assets, told STV News: “What we are trying to do is give people the means to take a more active role in them maintenance of their communities if they so wish these are volunteers nobody has been co-opted or coerced into picking up litter – it’s just an opportunity for people to help if they want.
“The council can’t be everywhere at all times to pick up after people who refuse to use bins. If people in communities want to take an active role to address those issues we are all for it and want to support it.
“The council like any other local authorities operates within a finite budget so we have to prioritise so if we employed much more people to do one thing it results in less doing another. I don’t think anyone is saying we should have fewer classroom assistants or teachers so we can have more people picking up after people who refuse to use bins.”