Keep Britain Tidy launches Great British Spring Clean across Yorkshire - with Batley and Spen MP kick-starting campaign with mass litter-pick event in Mirfield

Thousands of volunteer ‘Litter Heroes’ in North Kirklees and across Yorkshire and the Humber – as well as other parts of the nation - are today (Thursday) grabbing their litter-pickers as the country’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign - the Great British Spring Clean - begins.

Now into its ninth year, the annual nationwide litter-picking campaign is run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, supported by thousands of individuals, families, schools, local authorities, community groups and businesses who care for the environment on their doorsteps.

Last year people up and down the country came together to clean up more than 400,000 bags of litter from streets, parks, beaches and other public spaces and this year, as Keep Britain Tidy marks its 70th anniversary, the charity is hoping to beat that total.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “We’re celebrating 70 years of taking action for the environment and it’s our belief that the environment belongs to everyone.

“The Great British Spring Clean is the perfect time to shout about everything we’ve achieved together in the past seven decades and say a big thank you to the volunteers, staff and supporters who have made it possible.

“However, you choose to mark our 70th anniversary this Great British Spring Clean, your efforts will make a huge difference to the environment on your doorstep.

“The tireless work of our staff and volunteers has brought us a long way since 1954 - but now the planet needs us like never before as millions of tonnes of new and historic litter makes its way from the land into our waterways and oceans each year, causing catastrophic damage to our wildlife and natural habitats.”

‘Litter Heroes’ up and down the country are being encouraged to make a pledge on Keep Britain Tidy’s website, www.keepbritaintidy.org, to pick a bag - or more - of rubbish during the campaign, which runs from March 15 to 31.

To mark the occasion, Keep Britain Tidy hosted a pop-up litter museum in the Houses of Parliament, using exhibits loaned from the Vintage Litter Museum in Suffolk, to raise awareness of the permanence of litter dropped by people decades ago.

During the event the winners and runners up of the Great British Spring Clean awards, recognising people who have gone above and beyond to tackle litter, were announced.

Sean Latus, CEO of the campaign's headline partner Calisen, which owns, installs and manages essential energy infrastructure, driven by its vision of smarter energy for all, said: “It’s inspiring to see volunteers taking action at grassroots level to make our communities cleaner and greener.”

After the 2023 campaign, 96 per cent of participants agreed that they felt they had made a difference to their local area.