Essex Wildlife Trust has revealed that a staggering 36,800 pieces of litter have been collected in Essex in just 10 days by members of the public.

The litter-picking campaign, Spring Pickers, is run by Essex Wildlife Trust and asks people in Essex to pick up 5 pieces of litter every day for 10 days in the run up to spring.

This is the second year of running the campaign, which has grown in popularity and momentum. This year, the public collected at least 10,000 more pieces of litter, as the campaign received 259 additional sign-ups to the previous year.  

Sign-ups included individuals, schools, nurseries, businesses, parish councils, rambling groups and more. This year, the Trust had 42 schools in Essex sign up to the challenge.

Litter and plastic pollution have far-reaching impacts on wildlife. Wildlife can get entangled in litter, hurt themselves on sharp discarded items and ingest litter, with harmful consequences.

If you missed taking part in Spring Pickers this year, the campaign will run on the lead up to spring next year.

The Trust urges everyone to take action for their local green spaces at all times of year to ensure these areas remain plastic and litter-free.

Gemma Cosson, Campaigns Officer for Essex Wildlife Trust, says:

“We are so grateful to everyone who helped us clean up Essex this spring. We know how important nature is for wildlife and for people, so keeping these spaces clean and tidy goes a long way to prevent any injuries or harm to animals. It’s inspiring see at least 42 schools sign up to Spring Pickers this year. We love to see this education about our natural world getting passed down to the next generations. If this is the kind of impact we can have in 10 days, think about what we could achieve if we worked as a county to take actions for wildlife every day."