A large scale rubbish installation at Margate railway station, murals and poster campaigns and an online shop for litter pickers are just some of the goals for a Margate volunteer group.
Rise Up, Clean Up was created by Margate theatre set and costume designer Amy Cook. The mum-of-one says the group is a response to the continuing issue of littering on the town’s main sands.
Since its launch on July 24 scores of volunteers have joined the mission, clearing rubbish, giving out bin bags to visitors and working with the council on ways to raise environmental awareness.
Rise Up, Clean Up has launched a fundraiser to help make their proposals reality. Other aims are to roll out schemes for tackling cigarette litter – such as souvenir keychain ashtrays and innovative cigarette disposal units; trial re-usable pint glasses, with pubs offering discounts to customers who use them and to distribute hundreds more biodegradable bin bags to beach goers.
The group, which meets on Friday evenings, is also in talks with a number of council staff, Margate seafront business owners and Your Leisure this week to look at how plans can be made for better ways of tackling the litter issue next year.
A Zoom meeting will also take place today (August 24) with a number of bars around Margate to discuss the reusable cup scheme. Participants include Little Swift, XYLO and Olby’s.
Amy said: “We had a really great clean on Friday. Around 30 people turned up in spite of a day of rain. Although the beach was fairly empty and it didn’t look very messy, we still managed to collect over 20 bags of rubbish consisting of all the small bits of plastic that are so often missed by the council teams. There were also an enormous number of cigarette butts which our volunteers did their best to collect up.
“Our Crowdfunder ends this Sunday, August 30 at midday. We are still very much in need of financial support to be able to continue our work and plan for our future going forward into next summer.”
Reusable pint glasses? We’ve only just got to the point where pubs wash them after every use! How unhygienic ! Take that idea straight back from the rubbish dump you dug it up from.
Once again volunteers are doing the job for the council yesterday council litter pickers collected small items If you can help the marine conservation society who’s been fighting against all forms of litter on beaches for many years we do survey all items found by volunteers but not to often then items can be traced and pollutors can be prosecuted you can find me going along the promenade every day unless raining where I can give you information.
Why are people getting away with such terrible littering. Surely the litter police could make a killing and we could have clean beeches.
Unfortunately it is not just on our beaches that we have the litter. It is society in general these days I think as I have read articles of litter on other beaches, in the Lake District and other tourist beauty areas. The government needs to bring in much higher fines and have a TV ad campaign – showing the mess visitors leave behind.
Where are the promised enforcement officers TDC ? Whenever there is a big outcry over misuse of the beaches TDC spokesmen come on here and lie to the public saying they will have enforcement officers, parking wardens, beach wardens, supervisors, inspectors to all the hot spots and problem areas, but in reality there is no extra staff on duty at all. People still park wherever they like near the beaches without penaltyt, bins are still overflowing, beaches uncleaned after busy days, Jet Skis causing dangers in the harbour area and of the Cliftonville coast, etc, etc. We are now running down to the end of the season once again and TDC have managed to get away with doing nothing once again. This was what happened last year and will be the same next year no doubt. The Clocktower toilets still not opened. Two summer seasons running with no repair works done. Will this be the same next year as well?
TDC are failing the tourist public, daytrippers and residents who live here. Something needs to change there to halt the deceit and bring positive changes or we are just going to get more of the same.