The Great British Spring Clean is the nation's biggest mass participation environmental campaign.
Our 2022 campaign recieved an award from Keep Britian Tidy for it's diverse campaign. For further information please click here
In 2022 Dover District Council pledged it would collect 200 bags of litter throughout the campaign period and we are incredibly pleased to say that despite the weather over 350 bags were collected!
In 2022 we decided to do something different. Members of our Environmental Crime and Community teams toured the district hosting outdoor pop-up litter picking events.
The events had fun games to educate younger visitors and information to help you reduce, reuse, recycle.
Please note that the events on the 31st March and the 2nd April were cancelled as a result of adverse weather conditions.
Why participate in the Great British Spring Clean?
There are lots of reasons why it’s important to get involved in taking action against litter.
More than 2.25 million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day, with litter blighting our streets, parks and beaches and costing us nearly £1 billion a year to clear up – yet it’s entirely preventable.
Litter can also harm wildlife. The RSPCA received 7,400 calls to report incidents of animals injured by litter in 2018 in England and Wales. Around 80% of the plastic in our oceans comes from litter dropped inland – you can be part of the solution and help ensure the plastic doesn’t reach the sea!
Taking part in the Great British Spring Clean or litter picking throughout the year is also good for your own well-being and connecting with others in your community. In 2019, 83% of the campaign's #LitterHeroes surveyed said they felt more pride in their local area after taking part and 84% said they would encourage other people that they know or meet not to drop litter.
Your litter picking stories
Environmental Awards 2022
As part of this years Great British Spring Clean Campaign Dover District Council launched it’s first annual Environmental Awards competition.
The awards were to recognise and thank all those who tirelessly strive to make our district a cleaner greener place to live, work and visit.
The competition was free and allowed the public to nominate themselves or someone they knew across five different award categories.
A special prize giving ceremony was held at Kearsney Abbey on Saturday the 9th of April 2022 to celebrate local Environmental Heroes, and to bring the Great British Spring Clean campaign to a close for the district this year.
The winners in each category were:
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Individual under 18 winner -Jack Ailwood – nominated for his passion for saving the planet. He has set up his own litter picks. He tries to litter pick every week and educates his friends and family on how they can help the planet. Over the last year he raised over £1,000 for charities.
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Individual over 18 winner(s)-Augusta and Paul Pearson – nominated for their tireless work in the local community carrying out litter picks on a regular basis, and providing bags for residents to clean up after their dogs.
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Business winner- The Sunrise Cafe – nominated as a charity-based cafe that is open to everyone and supports the homeless and those who are struggling to afford food, including collecting and using surplus food from local supermarkets.
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Community Group winner-Dover Wombles – were nominated for their work on litter picks in the town, and the work of volunteers to galvanise people, fund raise, organise and implement a number of projects for the local area.
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School category winner- Dover Technical College – was nominated for a range of work to raise awareness, and to promote a cleaner and greener future. All curriculum departments have compiled a sustainability pledge
There was a total of 47 entries, which were judged on inspiration, achievement, and environmental impact. The winners of each category have received an award trophy and a £50 voucher.
Should you be an Environmental Hero or know someone who is doing great work in our community to improve our local environment then please ensure to nominate them in next years Environmental Awards campaign!
Details on how to apply will be published on our website nearer the time.
Poster Design Competition
We teamed up with our refuse, recycling and street cleansing contractor Veolia Environmental Services to host a poster competition in support of this year's Great British Spring Clean Campaign.
We encouraged under 18s with a flair for design to get creative and design a poster that encouraged people to do the right thing and put their litter in the bin.
We received some fantastic and creative designs however Jessie Reardon’s (11 of Dover) “rapper” design below stood out as a clear winner.
Jessie also received a £50 Love to Shop voucher at a prize giving ceremony and the runners up also both received £25 vouchers too.
Jessie pictured with Councillor Martin Bates following winning the competition.
Over the summer we caught up with Jessie and captured her reaction to seeing her design on the side of one of our vehicles.
How do I host a litter pick?
Dover District Council is supporting the campaign by making litter picking equipment available and arranging for waste collected on litter picks to be collected.
To organise a litter pick and to review all the current safety advice please visit CommunityCleanUps.
Litter and Fly Tipping
If litter and fly tipping is an issue in your area, we would encourage you to report this to us. We can arrange for the area to be cleansed by our street cleansing team in publicly maintained areas and arrange for our Environmental Enforcement Officers to conduct patrols to help tackle the issues experienced
Educational Talks
The Environmental Crime Team offer educational talks to schools and community groups throughout the district relating to littering, dog fouling, responsible dog ownership and fly tipping.
Please email us at envcrime if you would like to book a session or if you would like to receive further information.
Want to do more by becoming a Community Caretaker?
A Community Caretaker is a volunteer who gives up their spare time to help the community.
Community Caretakers can help with anything which helps the local community, including:
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litter picking
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painting
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planting
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sweeping
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repairs
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clearing snow
Community Caretakers have access to community stores. A community store is a local unit holding tools, materials, equipment and protective clothing.
For further information on the Community Caretakers Scheme please visit Community-Caretakers.
For any further information or assistance please email envcrime.