Great British Spring Clean

Get involved in the 2022 Great British Spring Clean and help us keep Wiltshire beautiful, from 25 March to 10 April.

How can you get involved?

You can join is either as individuals on your daily walks or as part of a larger community clean up group. Take part in litter picking in your community and share with us your success stories and perhaps a picture of you and the waste you have collected - use the hashtag #GBSCWilts and tag us on @wiltscouncil on Twitter or Our Wiltshire on Facebook and we'll share the best pictures.

We have donated more than 1500 litter pickers and 1500 pairs of gloves to nearly 100 local town and parish council as well as many community groups. Please contact your local town or parish council to see whether they have any equipment you could borrow or whether they are hosting a clean-up event that you could support. We do not currently have any additional equipment to loan out.

Please note: litter picks in the Salisbury area are not encouraged - here, the advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) remains 'if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up'.

How can you dispose of the waste?

  • Where possible, please dispose of the bagged waste in your regular household black bins.
  • Bags can be disposed of within a public litter bin provided the bin is not already full.
  • For large events where you think there will be more that 10 black bags full of waste, we can arrange a single collection following the event. To arrange for a collection of waste, please email streetscene@wiltshire.gov.uk with full details of the litter pick and your contact details, giving a minimum of 10 days' notice.

Do's and don'ts

  • Please do not take part in litter picks in the Salisbury area. litter picks in the Salisbury area are not encouraged - here, the advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) remains 'if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up'.
  • As always, safety is paramount. Anyone participating in a litter picking event should ensure they have risk assessed beforehand.
  • Focus your efforts within residential areas and open spaces. Working on the highways comes with significant risk and should be left to the experts. You can report litter on the highway via MyWilts and the area will be inspected and actioned accordingly.
  • Where possible, participate in pairs.
  • Do not pick up anything that looks suspicious or dangerous (unknown chemicals/sharps/ broken glass etc). These should be reported at MyWilts.
  • Any large items should be left where they are, and reported at MyWilts. Suspected fly-tips will be investigated and by removing these items you may remove possible evidence which could later lead to a prosecution.
  • Wear appropriate footwear for the activity and consider other PPE such as gloves and hi-vis jackets.