It feels like it’s been ages since going on a personal rubbish walk, so we managed to fit two in this weekend along different sections of Malmesbury Road. I’ve mentioned previously that this area tends to be a litter magnet, and this weekend was no exception:
- Car parts were out in force, with two hubcaps found during today’s walk.
- Having a Subway in town and one at the services near Morrisons means the road gets littered from sandwich wrappings from both ends. It was one of the most common brands found this weekend.
- McDonald’s was also popular, but I am still trying to figure out why we were mainly finding lids and straws, but very few cups.
- The footpath near John Coles Park was looking much better than when we first cleaned it earlier in the year, but litter is still collecting under street lights and in corners. Perhaps an area that should have a bin?
On the bright side, the cleaning being done by Chippenham Town Council near the houses on Park Lane is making a difference; while there was recent litter in this area, it didn’t have the build up we were expecting.
Overall, we found 4 bags of rubbish this weekend, 6 glass bottles, 29 plastic bottles, 36 cans, 2 hubcaps, and a mystery object.
Finds from Sunday: We don’t know what the middle object is, but it was found in a hedge near a car park. Is it something we should put back?!
Packaging designers have a role to play in the fight against litter: anything that can be torn off WILL end up as litter. Perhaps create a bag that requires the complete top in order to be resealed?
F’real, this is not a bin! I find this type of behaviour puzzling, although it’s actually quite common – people seem to know that littering is wrong, but instead of holding on to their rubbish and disposing of it properly, they hide it between cracks, put it in hedges or behind walls, and try to pretend that out of sight is out of mind.
Takeaway containers left in someone’s front garden and on someone’s doorstep.
This footpath near John Coles Park is a bit grim at the moment, with litter, graffiti, and weeds. Wouldn’t it be great if we could revitalise the area?
And as you may have seen around the site, we are currently in the process of changing our name to Off the Ground in order to take into account anti-litter education and other projects, rather than focus just on the cleaning. We can be found at Facebook at OffTheGround.org, on Twitter @OffTheGroundOrg, and as you may have guessed, the website will be www.offtheground.org. I just need to finish designing it!