cleanupuk | Health and Safety Advice

Litter picking is the most fun when done in a way that’s safe. Safety first, right? So, we've put together a handy checklist to give you and your group peace of mind while you're out there making a difference. Give it a read before you head out to litter pick.

Some general thoughts

Get the litter collected: Give your local council's waste management team a heads up and see if they can pick up the litter you've gathered from a pre-agreed location. Pro tip: If you're planning to leave bags by park bins, have a chat with them in advance. Leaving bags unattended might lead to wildlife undoing all your hard work. Thank you to our lovely neighbourhood foxes for that...
Check your insurance, if you have it: If your group has its own insurance policy, check if it covers litter picking. It's always smart to be properly protected.
Avoid people traffic: Imagine trying to litter pick in a sea of school children at 8:30 am. We wouldn’t do it either. It’s best to litter pick when there’s less people about.
Feeling unwell? Stay away! If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of keeping our germs to ourselves and resting when unwell. Spread the message to anyone who might have missed it, and if someone’s unwell in your group, let them know it’s ok to skip this one out.

Let’s make this personal

Keep clean: Litter picking is great, but you might come across some grotty things. Provide your group with gloves or see if they can bring their own. Find a space to wash your hands afterwards or use hand sanitiser if that’s not possible.
Top tip: don’t touch your face if your hands aren’t clean or you’re wearing your litter picking gloves.

This is rubbish...

Bag it up: If your council is supporting your group, check in to see if they can deliver bags or just use strong bin liners. Remember to seal the bags tightly and leave them somewhere pre-arranged with your local council.
Use your litter picking sticks: They may not be as cool as a lightsaber, but litter picking sticks are still pretty awesome and you should really only litter pick when using one.
Avoid sharp things: Don’t pick up needles or sharp objects, no-one wants to spend their weekend in A&E waiting for a tetanus injection. Just report this to the council.
First Aid Treatment: If something does happen, have a small first aid kit to hand (you can buy these in most chemists) and make sure you know how to get to the nearest hospital. If you have qualified first aiders in your group, make sure you know who they are.

Don’t be mean, and keep ‘em clean:

Remember to sterilise your equipment regularly. Here are some suggestions:

Disinfect all equipment: dip the handles of your litter picker in a bucket or a clean bin first, then turn over and put the mucky end in for a soak or the spray handles with bleach for cleaning.
Handi-Hoops: wear gloves and spray your hoops with beach and wipe them down – or dip them in a bin as above if they fit.
Gloves: give new gloves to all litter pickers and ask them to keep them and wash them for next time / or bring their own.