Litter Free Lewes

Date for the diary: the next litter pick will be on March 31st, 11am – 1pm, to do Ham Lane/Cockshut Road, meeting at the Southdown Sports Centre. For more info, please see all our upcoming dates on Litter Action or Facebook group Litter Free Lewes (no hyphen) or email Milly

Litter Free Lewes is a new project that aims to reduce litter and clean up our area. Here’s how…

1. Carrying out regular litter pick-ups – fortnightly if possible, minimum once a month
2. Contacting schools to discuss their litter policy and encourage student engagement with the anti-littering message.
3. Working with local authorities to improve signage and bins
4. Working with local artists to create anti-litter stencils (with respect to the local environment).

Here’s an update of what’s been happening…

Since November, Litter Free Lewes has completed 9 Litter Picks (including this weekend, Sat 24th). During our first 8 litter picks, we’ve collected just under 160 bags of litter from areas around the centre of Lewes, including Landport, Ham Lane, Pells Pool, Jenners Way (the Tesco hedge), Nevill and around the train station. We endeavour to continue litter picks at a frequency of 2 or 3 a month. A handful of hardy volunteers have joined us for nearly every litter pick, I won’t name them here, as I’m equally grateful to everyone who has managed to join us even for just one litter pick, but special thanks go out to our committed core group – thank you!

In February we had a meeting to discuss bins and signage. The resulting actions are to keep an eye out for bins that aren’t being used enough, so that we can move them to areas really in need, such as bus stops. We are also on the hunt for sponsorship for high-viz vests that will say ‘volunteer’ and ‘Litter Free Lewes’ – to increase both safety and awareness. We have been borrowing some from the Trinity centre and hope to have some provided by LDC soon. A number of us will or have contacted schools to discuss their litter education/policy, ask the children to make anti-littering posters and invite them on litter picks (an ongoing process). We plan on leaving chalk notices where we have litter picked and will be contacting the council(s) to request a lamp powered by dog poo!

Two areas we are trying to crack down on are; the Tesco, Aldi and Environment Agency quarter where hedges and banks are disgustingly full of litter and Ham Lane, a loop which is at crisis point near the dump and the A27. We want to work with as many local groups and/or businesses in those areas, getting them cleaned up in one big group effort.

We recently collaborated with the Trinity Centre on their opening day, which meant that many church goers joined us for a litter pick round Pells. We had a great turn out and hope to collaborate with more local groups in the near future, namely The Rooks and Rookettes and Borough Bonfire Society – we’re on the hunt for more groups to join forces with and hopefully get more localised monthly litter picks up and running.

LDC have said if we separate the clean litter we pick up, they can assure that it will be recycled, but we are yet to try this. Hopefully we can start a separating system on our next pick.

Please let us know if you’d like to get involved, join a litter pick or think you could help create an engaging workshop to be delivered in schools. Email Milly: litterfreelewes@yahoo.com or join the Litter-Free Lewes Facebook group for regular updates.  Read more about Litter-Free Lewes