Warrington Borough Council crest

The council has praised its hard-working and selfless communities and litter networks in response to findings from Keep Britain Tidy - an independent charity that works to eliminate litter and waste - which shows Warrington is leading the way in eliminating litter.

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Data recorded through Keep Britain Tidy’s “collect and count” scheme showed that nationally, more than 42,000 bags of waste were collected by litter pickers in 2022, with an average of 2,600 volunteers taking part.

In Warrington alone, more than 8,000 bags of litter were recorded through the “collect and count” initiative, accounting for approximately 20% of all bags of collected litter recorded through the scheme.

Cabinet member for leisure and community, Cllr Tony Higgins, said: “Again and again the community spirit in Warrington shines through, and I’m incredibly thankful and proud of our many litter pickers who selflessly work to make our neighbourhoods cleaner and greener.

“Litter picking networks and organisations are a fantastic partner to the council in helping to reduce waste locally. Their devotion to ‘doing their bit’ for the environment by going out in all weathers to help tidy up Warrington deserves a great deal of recognition and praise.

“We know that in an ideal world, litter picking networks shouldn’t have to exist and people should dispose of their litter properly. Unfortunately littering is a universal problem, which makes me all the more grateful that locally we have so many volunteers willing to make a difference."

Warrington Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Professor Steven Broomhead MBE, said: “Some in Warrington may see the findings of the collect and count initiative as bittersweet, given the volume of recorded bags of litter collected.

“What cannot be disputed, however, is the huge positive impact our litter networks and volunteers are making locally. The council stands with and supports our litter networks in reducing waste and it is only right that we celebrate their work.

“Our local litter networks are growing, too, and on top of the many litter picking networks and community litter picking organisations, we are looking forward to Warrington’s first Sikh litter picking network launching shortly too.”

You can find out more about Warrington’s litter networks by visiting litternetworks.org/area/warrington