Saving the planet, space and money

LitterBugs is a group of local adults and children who want to raise awareness of litter and plastics '“ and do something about it.
LitterBugs members are trying the ecoegg instead of washing pods.LitterBugs members are trying the ecoegg instead of washing pods.
LitterBugs members are trying the ecoegg instead of washing pods.

We have seen shocking images recently of huge amounts of plastic and other rubbish in our oceans. Not only is this harming wildlife, but it is ruining our beautiful beaches.

Not just our beaches are affected. Drive from Alnwick to Ashington, down the A1068, and just about every metre of roadside and hedgerow is full of litter. Sadly, much of this will not get picked up as it is too dangerous to do so.

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LitterBugs wants us all to help reduce this eyesore. Every piece of rubbish picked up and binned helps.

LitterBugs did a beach litter-pick at Amble several weeks ago and collected a staggering 11 sacks of litter from the old cemetery in Links Road to the Little Shore. On another litter-pick we counted 99 straws in one clump of seaweed.

We are planning our next group pick on Sunday, February 25, at 10am, at the beach car park opposite The Storehouse in Amble. We invite anyone to join us. Bring the kids too. It’s a great way to meet new people, get fit and clean the place up.

We are open to future suggestions for litter hotspots, so long as they are safe for children.

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For those of you who can’t join us, we appeal to you to pick up litter if it’s safe to do so, and bin it.

To those who drop litter or throw it out of vehicles, please stop. Think about your actions and how much it costs.

Other group litter-picks coming up include Saturday, March 3, at 10am, in Amble Town Square, organised by Amble Town Council as part of Keep Britain Tidy Spring Clean.

On Saturday, March 17, at 10am, in Warkworth Memorial Hall, there will be another organised litter-pick.

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Please try to get along to one, even if it’s just for an hour.

In other countries, people are also trying to tackle the problem.

The Take 3 campaign in Australia encourages everyone at the beach or other waterway to take three items of litter away with them.

The new trend in Sweden is ‘Plogging’, which is jogging whilst litter-picking (look it up, it looks great). Are there any running groups out there who want to try Plogging?

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To give an idea of how much plastic enters our oceans, Sky Ocean Rescue is sending Plasticus, the 10m-long whale on tour in the UK. The whale is made of 250kg of plastic, the same amount that pollutes the ocean every second.

This month LitterBugs wants to look at our use of plastic in the home. Plastic has its uses, but we want to open a debate about how we can reuse it, recycle it or reduce it.

Our first debate is around home cleaning products. Do we really need cupboards full of different cleaning products in plastic bottles? Even soap powder is being replaced by plastic tubs of washing ‘pods’.

In our schools, shops, restaurants and workplaces, we all have liquid soap in plastic bottles. When did a good old-fashioned bar of soap become inadequate? Some young children struggle with soap dispensers so end up not washing their hands at all. Surely soap bars are far cheaper in times of austerity.

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Several members of our group are trying new products, such at the ecoegg and eco soap nuts to replace washing powder and fabric conditioner. If they work, not only are we cutting down on plastic and freeing up cupboard space, but we could save a lot of money.

If anyone else is using such products, we would love some feedback. You can get in touch on Facebook under LitterBugs, or email [email protected]

Please support us and join us to help clean up our beaches, countryside and oceans.