Autumn Litter Pick 2022 (see pictures here)
Almost 70 Altonians joined forces on Saturday (1st October) to take part in our Autumn Litter Pick.
Organised by the Alton Society and the Guild of Optimists, the happy helpers cleared up cigarette butts, food wrappers, glass, cans and even a lorry’s wing mirror from the town’s roads, parks and pavements. One particularly strong local picked up the metal part of a lorry tyre on the Basingstoke Rd and carried it all the way back to the Assembly Rooms. True dedication!
“We were really pleased with the turn out,” said co-organiser Kat Guenioui. “But even more so with the response – so many people said how much they’d enjoyed themselves, and asked when the next litter pick would be held. It’s a real joy to see people coming together. We’re all so proud of our town and want to keep it looking nice.”
Almost as many bags of rubbish were collected as there were participants, with more than a skip-load of rubbish being counted by the end of the day.
The Town Council, the Alton Society and Alton Climate Action Network ensured there were enough litter pickers to go around, and participants represented a wide range of ages and interests. One lady said, ‘It’s really helped with my anxiety; it’s given me something to do and a reason to get out’, while a gentleman commented, ‘Aren’t we lucky to live in a town full of people who really care about their community?’
Litter pickers were rewarded with a free drink from popular café Bottega dei Sappori.
“We’re very grateful to all the people who came out, and to the local community groups and residents’ associations for their support,” said organiser Bob Booker. “We couldn’t do it without them.”
Spring Litter Pick 2022 (for pictures check here)
This was the biggest turn out of volunteers ever! 76 adults and children took part in the Spring Litter Pick. This was held in conjunction with the national Keep Britain Tidy cam[aign and the massive turn out meant we covered the town centre, car parks and alleyways and many roads off.
As in previous years the main problem was discarded cigarette butts. Despite the many bins provided with panels to stub out lighted cigarettes, it appears some smokers continue to let down the town.
Cans and bottles featured as well but there were fewer plastic bags. The charge for these bags has reduced the number thrown away. When the government introduces a deposit return system on bottles and cans, that should also make a difference. The town’s car parks contained the most litter.
We like to thank everyone: members and non-members, who turned out to help make Alton a town we can be proud of. We are grateful to our partner groups too for their assistance.
We are particularly pleased to have the support of other local groups. These include Alton Climate Action Network; Alton Lions; Alton Herald; Ashdell Residents Association and the Church Triangle Residents Association. We are grateful to Giles Lock of the Ashdell RA who kindly provided an Easter Egg for all the children who took part.
Thanks go to Alton Town Council for providing us with the litter picks, rubbish bags and help with disposal of the rubbish, and to Bottegas for providing a free hot drink voucher to all the volunteers who wanted one. We collected over 70 bin bags of dropped litter.
Summer Litter Pick June 2021
Our recent Litter Pick ran from 1st – 5th June, carried out under Covid Regulations, inc. maintaining social distancing and keeping within household or workplace ‘bubbles’. Further details of what we did to spruce the Town up ready for Summer can be found in Bob’s Report.
Autumn Litter Pick September 2020
This autumn’s Town Litter Pick, supported by Keep Britain Tidy’s national campaign, took place on each of the six days beginning on the 21st September. Volunteers were out daily in groups that complied with Covid-19 regulations to cover specific areas in the town. The pick was organised by the Alton Society and supported by Alton Town Council.
64 Volunteers took part. They included teams from Nationwide Building Society, a local firm called Jisp and Alton’s Specsavers branch. Alton Lions covered two days and our MP Damian Hinds turned up on Friday to help. A number of local councillors: Steve Hunt, Chris Lawrence, Ginny Boxall and Matthew Bayliss put in a shift, as did representatives form several Alton Residents’ Associations.
We disposed of 55 rubbish bags, 61 face masks (these had been left on the ground rather than put in a bin) and too many cigarette butts to count. It is astonishing that irresponsible smokers continue to blight our environment.
We plan to repeat the event in the Spring but many of us will be going out between now and then to tackle the scourge of litter. If you want to help in the future then contact us at thealtonsociety@gmail.com
Our Fabulous Volunteer Litter Pickers in Action in past litter picks.
If you want to know more about future litter picks, or can help, email thealtonsociety@gmail.com
The Alton Society 