Do your bit to help keep North Devon spick and span this spring

People across North Devon are being asked to help spruce up the region as part of the Great British Spring Clean next month.

Now in its 11th year, the national initiative from Keep Britain Tidy runs from March 13 to 29, encouraging people to come together to remove litter from streets, parks and beaches and help care for their local environment.

Locally, North Devon Council is once again supporting the big clean up, inviting residents to get involved by taking part in an organised event or by carrying out their own litter-picking activities.

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To help support volunteers, the council’s waste and recycling team will be able to provide litter-picking equipment, subject to availability and arrange for collected litter to be removed.

Each year the Spring Clean sees individuals, groups of friends or community groups get together to tidy up and area outside their homes, a local street, beach or perhaps a stretch of the Tarka Trail.

Councillor Ricky Knight, lead member for climate and biodiversity at North Devon Council, said: “The Great British Spring Clean is a brilliant opportunity for people to take pride in their local area while making a positive impact on the environment.

“Whether you’re joining a group or heading out on your own, every effort helps create a cleaner, greener North Devon.”

Councillor Julie Hunt, lead member for waste and recycling, added: “Even small actions can make a big difference. By supporting residents with equipment and litter collection, we hope to make it as easy as possible for people to get involved.

“Working together, we can protect our environment and contribute to a national movement that benefits everyone.”

The campaign also supports the council’s Clear Messages initiative, which tackles environmental offences including littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling.

Alongside this, the council will soon be running a targeted campaign to address dog fouling, highlighting how important it is to report incidents.

The council is working in partnership with Clean Devon, a multi-agency initiative focused on reducing litter and fly-tipping across the county.

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As part of the Great British Spring Clean, Clean Devon will be amplifying Keep Britain Tidy’s social media messages and sharing additional local content through Recycle Devon, which will also be shared via the council’s own channels.

Residents or community groups who would like to borrow litter-picking equipment or arrange collection of bagged litter, which must be arranged in advance, can contact the council by emailing pete.sheppard@northdevon.gov.uk or calling 01271 374776.

Fly-tipping and other environmental offences can be reported via the council’s website at https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/do-it-online/report or by calling 01271 388870. More help and advice on organising a clean-up can be found on Keep Britain Tidy’s website at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org