Get Involved

Litter picking

Everything you need to start litter picking in Bristol and help keep the city shipshape and Bristol fashion.

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Litter picking kit hire

To help with your litter pick, we can supply all the equipment you will need including; litter picking sticks, high visibility vests, lots of bags and a hoop to help keep the bags open.

Litter picking can be a rewarding solo activity or a fun way to meet your neighbours and get involved with your community. There are dozens of established litter picking groups across the city with new ones popping up all the time. If you are planning a community litter pick, download this helpful guide to get started.

If you have children that are keen little litter pickers, they can join our Little Big Tidiers scheme to win a special prize after six litter picks.

 

Get litter picking in five easy steps!

Street in Bristol

1. Decide where to pick

We clean the city centre on a daily basis and visit hundreds of neighbourhoods across the city.

But, it can be difficult to reach every bit of Bristol’s green spaces, small side streets and cycle paths.

Do you know a tucked-away area that could do with a litter pick? Check it’s within the Bristol City Council area and start planning your pick.

If you’re unsure where to litter pick, pop us an email at hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk and we can give you some ideas.

Check it's within Bristol
Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees and a group of school children holding litter pickers.

2. Keep yourselves safe

To keep everyone safe please download and read our health and safety checklist before organising a clean up. Litter picking is done at your own risk.

Health and safety checklist
Litter picking sticks in the shape of a heart

3. Get your litter picking kit

You need to book to borrow litter picking kit and collect it from the gate next to St Phillips Recycling Centre.

The litter picking kit is usually available for collection 48 hours after you submit the request form.

Collections are only available Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 08:00 and 16:00. For any enquiries, please email hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk.

Need extra rubbish bags? No problem, please let us know how many you need by completing this form.

Book your kit
A woman stands behind a pile of litter bags with her arms outstretched

4. Share your results

Every bag of litter and minute of your time helps keep our city clean, green and welcoming for everyone. To help us keep the most accurate data, we rely on residents who regularly clean up their area to keep us updated on their progress.

Share your results
Two Bristol waste staff leaning on a sign made from rubbish. The sign says thank you

5. Dispose of your litter

To dispose of the litter you’ve collected, you can either take your bags home for kerbside collection or organise a collection by completing the Litter Collection Form.

Please arrange to return the kit to community engagement HQ on an agreed day. Kit collections and returns will be in agreed timeslots on weekdays, but we’ll try and work around when is best for you.

Thank you for helping keep Bristol tidy!

Book a collection

Ready to get litter picking?

Fill in these forms to order litter picking kits and get the rubbish collected. We would love to also see the results of your pick so don't forget to share your photos!

Litter picking guide

Join a local litter picking group

Each pin on the map is a different litter picking group. Click on a pin to see more information!

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Clean Up Bristol Harbour

We run from the carpark at the Princess Pantry at 10am on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

Email: cleanupbristolharbour@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanupbristolharbour/?img_index=1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CleanUpBristolHarbour/?locale=en_GB

Website: http://cleanupbristolharbour.weebly.com/

Get directions >

Henbury and Brentry Group

The group picks on the third Saturday of every month.

To join, contact Mark Weston
email: mark@markweston.org.uk
Tel: 07709421667

Get directions >

Newtown Park Group

Monthly pick in the park and around Newtown area. Organised/led by community leader Debbie Benjamin

Get directions >

Frome Valley Fairies (Eastville)

https://www.facebook.com/fromefairies

Get directions >

SusWot (Sustainable Westbury on Trym)

https://www.facebook.com/suswot/
https://www.suswot.org.uk/litter/

SusWot organise litter picks or river cleaning every Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm and river cleaning every Friday from 10 am to noon.

Get directions >

Easton Wombles

https://www.facebook.com/groups/513156903171973

Get directions >

Stockwood Litter Picking

https://www.facebook.com/groups/603904663893907/

Get directions >

Friends of Brislington Brook

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsBrislingtonBrook/

Get directions >

Whitchurch Wombles

https://www.facebook.com/groups/643570292685647/

Get directions >

Sustainable Southmead

Carrying out regular picks but need more recruits to keep up the momentum. Get in touch at: www.facebook.com/SustainableSouthmead

Get directions >

Royate Hill Nature Reserve

Open group. Alternating Saturday and Sundays. There is a monthly pick at the Royate Hill Nature Reserve and Greenbank View. To find out more, email:martyn8@blueyonder.co.uk

Get directions >

Newtown Network – Newtown Park

Monthly pick in the park and around Newtown area. Organised and led by community leader Debbie Benjamin.

Get directions >

Sea Mills and Coombe Dingle Climate Action

Regular picks are organised throughout the month. Contact: elena.hensinger@web.de

Get directions >

Pen Park Pickers

Monthly pick litter picks for families and adults. Contact: adelehanlon@aol.co.uk

Get directions >

St Bonaventures Church litter picking group

Monthly picks, usually finishing at North Rd. To enquire about joining the next one, please email: annie_sparkes@hotmail.co.uk

Get directions >

Barton Hill Settlement

Monthly picks that meet at the Barton Hill Settlement.

Get directions >

Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust

Anti-fly tipping litter picks and events focusing on regenerating the area around Constable Rd in Lockleaze. Contact Karen to get involved in litter picks with LNT: karen@lockleazent.co.uk

Get directions >

Friends of the Avon New Cut

https://www.facebook.com/friendsoftheavonnewcut/

https://franc.org.uk/

Friends of the Avon New Cut (commonly known as FrANC) was formed in 2006. A group of local people got together to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the Avon New Cut including it’s history, geology and wildlife. Also, to celebrate it’s role in the development of Bristol’s Floating Harbour.

Get directions >

Fishponds Cleaner Streets

www.cleanupuk.org.uk/groups/fishponds-clean-streets
Monthly picks in Fishponds, often held around the railway bridge and industrial estate. Get in touch with Louise, Pete, Carol and Stuart using the following email address: cleanerfishponds@gmail.com

Get directions >

Friends of St George Park (FOSGP)

https://friendsofstgeorgepark.org.uk/
Monthly picks in the park. To get involved email: info@friendsofstgeorgepark.org.uk

Get directions >

Southmead Development Trust

For upcoming litter picking dates, contact Lucille from Southmead Development Trust – LucilleSmith@southmead.org.

Get directions >

Manor Farm Community Hub CIC Litterpickers

Please email anna@agtrans.co.uk for litter picking dates.

Litterpick about 4-5 times a week.

Get directions >

Sustainable Henleaze Litter Picking Group

Usually pick on the 1st Thursday of every month.

Contact details: sustainablehenleaze@gmail.com

Get directions >

Share your photos with us

We love seeing photos from your activities! You can email them to hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk or share them with us on social media using the hashtags #BigTidy and #BristolCleanStreets

FAQ – Litter picking in Bristol

Everything you need to know about litter picking in Bristol.

Remember: read the health and safety checklist before you begin litter picking.

The bagged litter collected during your pick can either be taken home with you to be disposed of in your kerbside collection or you can organise for our crews to collect and dispose of it using the litter collection form.

You can put any recycling into your household recycling containers if you have the space and capacity. Just make sure you stay safe.

If you’d rather we cleared the litter you’ve collected rather than putting it out with your kerbside collections, simply leave your bagged waste somewhere safe, convenient, and legal, fill in our litter collection form and we will do the rest!

In order for us to collect the litter you’ve picked, you will need to leave it in a safe and legal place, which is accessible by vehicle and complete a litter collection form. When choosing where to leave your litter, consider the following:

  • You must leave walkways clear. Think, are the bags in the way? Can wheelchair users safely pass them?
  • All bags must be clearly visible. This makes them easier for us to collect.
  • Your collected waste must be easily accessible by vehicle when our crews arrive.
  • Do not leave the litter on private property.
  • To make it easier for our crews, consider leaving it next to an existing bin.

That’s not a problem! Just state the correct location in the ‘litter collection form’ so we know where to pick the bags up from. It’s best for you to fill out the collection form after your pick to provide the most accurate in terms of location, how many bags you’ve left, and the time you’ve left them there.

The best litter picking spots are safe, legal and where you will make the most difference! We clean the city centre on a daily bases and visit hundreds of neighbourhoods across the city. But, Bristol has over 800 miles of streets and footpaths to keep clean; the same walking distance from Bristol to Venice (Italy), whilst pushing a litter picking cart. This makes it difficult to visit all of the city’s tucked-away green spaces, cycle paths and side streets.

Have you noticed local spaces that get especially messy? As long as it’s not private property, it’s safe to access and it’s in Bristol, it should be a good spot to litter pick.

If you’re unsure where to litter pick, pop us an email at hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk and we can give you some ideas.

 

Our kits are often in high demand so can only be lent out on a short-term basis. If you plan on keeping your kits for more than 1-2 weeks, please discuss this further with our team directly.

Email: hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk

Phone: 0117 304 9022

If you spot large, bulky waste items whilst out on your litter pick, the best thing to do is report them to Bristol City Council as a fly-tip. We recommend you do not try moving heavy objects.

Absolutely! If it turns out that you need more bags than you’ve originally ordered, you can request extra bags using our online form.

There are lots of active litter picking groups in Bristol. You can locate lots of public groups on social media, or we have a list of public groups on our website.

If there isn’t a litter picking group in your area already, you can always start one! Get friends, family and neighbours involved and invite them to regular local picks. A good technique is to share the information on local social media groups and set a regular litter picking date.

If you need help setting up a community litter pick, download our guide on the website.

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Download our guide
(3 MB)

We love hearing about your litter picking adventures! Not only does it fill us with pride, it is also very helpful with our data and helps with our long-term goals to tackle litter – for good.

Please let us know just how well you got on by using the online share your results form.

We do have a very limited amount of equipment for long-term pickers to borrow.

Ask the team about the availability of equipment, as it could be that a group near you has stopped picking and wants to pass on equipment, or that we’ve got some equipment left to loan.

If you can’t get your equipment for a long period straight away, you could borrow some for a short while to get some picks in for now, and be added onto a waiting list for kits and we can let you know when we have one available for you.

Contact the team directly to discuss this: hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk

The answer is ‘no’. You do not require any permissions or approvals to pick on Bristol’s public land.

Before you start picking, please check the health and safety check list and stay safe at all times.

We recycle as much as possible, even on litter picks. You can help us with this mission by sorting the litter you collect.

We will provide you with:

  • green general waste bags – for materials that cannot be recycled, like soft plastics, polystyrene and cigarette butts
  • clear recycling bags – for materials that can be recycled, like plastic bottles and aluminium drinks cans