How We Can Help To Clean Up The World

How To Tackle Plastic Pollution In Your Community

Every year in September, people of the world join up to clean up our planet. In a world where seeing plastic pollution is the new norm, world clean up day is one chance for us to do something to help remove our plastic pollution from the environment. 

World clean up day coincides nicely with the Marine Conservation Society's, Great British Beach Clean. All week, Brits will be cleaning beaches and collecting data for citizen science projects.

However, if you're like us, you don't live close enough to a beach to take part. That's not stopping us though! Litter is everywhere: in our parks, on our streets, in our waterways. This world clean up day we're heading to our local river for a litter pick.

Pic: Nicholas Samaras/Ocean Photography Awards

What steps can you take to help clean up the environment?

Take part in a local litter pick - check your local area as there are lots of litter picking groups already set up. If they don't, why not get a message out to your community & start your own!

Reduce your plastic intake - stop using single-use plastic by using reusable products, buying food from a refill store or market and cutting down on how much plastic you use.

Reuse & repurpose what you already have - reuse items like glass jars for snacks or cleaning solutions, and repurpose old clothes into un-paper towels or makeup wipes.

Buy secondhand - keep furniture & clothing in use by purchasing anything you need from secondhand shops, online or by swapping with friends.

Take all your litter with you - this may seem obvious but even by taking a plastic bottle home with you & recycling it at home will stop it from going into landfill.

Raise awareness with friends & family - everybody has the power to influence those people closest to them. Talk about plastic pollution often & how you can make simple changes to reduce your impact.

Write to your MP - send a message to ask for your MP to do more to help tackle plastic pollution. The more letters that are sent, the more your representative will be aware it is a priority for their constituents.

These are just some suggestions of what you can do as an individual to help clean up the environment. Plastic pollution is a big issue to tackle alone but working together, with each of us doing our bit, we can help to turn off the tap and clean up our planet. 

For more ideas of how you can reduce your personal plastic intake, check out our guide on plastic-free essentials.