Springtime litter-picking events in and around Wick over the past few years have “made a huge difference”, community councillors have been told.
The Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC) will again be at the forefront of local efforts for Spring Clean Scotland, which this year runs from March 21 to April 21.
The annual campaign is run by the environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Allan Bruce is vice-chairman of RBWCC and organiser of the town’s Spring Clean Scotland activities.
He told fellow community councillors at their January meeting: “This will be our fourth year of doing it. It has certainly made a huge difference to the town over the last few years.
“We’re looking at a couple of new initiatives this year, working alongside businesses and schools to try and encourage more people and probably looking at prevention more than anything.
“There was a comment made last year – there’s this discussion around whether people feel they can litter more because we’re picking up more.
“One area that we’ll not be able to tackle as volunteers, but certainly one that does concern me, is roadside litter in Caithness.”
In 2024, over 45,000 volunteers took part in Spring Clean Scotland across all 32 local authorities. More than 150 joined in a series of three clean-up events in and around Wick, filling almost 250 black bags with rubbish.
It added up to approximately 318 hours of voluntary work.
Mr Bruce told community councillors this week: “It is growing a bit of momentum now and I’m keen to keep it going.”
In September last year, Mr Bruce was awarded a Clean Up Scotland Hero award by Keep Scotland Beautiful for his efforts to keep the town litter-free.
In January 2023, Mr Bruce was a winner of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s partnership with the LitterLotto app. With his £500 winnings, he bought litter-pickers and rubbish-bag hoops for two primary schools.
He is also the vice-chairman of Wick Paths Group.
A recent report by Keep Scotland Beautiful indicated that 72 per cent of all sites surveyed were littered. The 2024 Scottish Litter Survey highlighted that 87 per cent of people agree litter is a problem across the country.
Barry Fisher, chief executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Our data clearly shows the extent of the litter issue we are facing across the country. However, we also know there is a massive appetite for positive actions – more than 80 per cent of people agree they want to see increased action to clean up litter in their communities.
“Last year’s Spring Clean Scotland was, as always, a huge success, with more than 45,000 people taking part in every local authority area across the country.
“We know how much desire there is for a litter-free Scotland. With this year being our 25th anniversary as a Scottish charity, we are setting our ambitions high, and encouraging everyone to get involved and play a part in making this the biggest, best and most impactful Spring Clean yet.”