Great British Spring Clean volunteers remove tonnes of rubbish from Tameside

Litter pickers across Tameside joined forces this week for the latest Great British Spring Clean.

Organised by Keep Britain Tidy, the 2025 event runs from March 21 to April 6 and has already seen communities come together to remove huge amounts of rubbish from their streets, parks and countryside. 

In Denton the Friends of Tame Valley, Tidy Up Tameside and workers from Suez UK collected more than 1.5 tonnes of waste from the valley and the River Tame. 

This included four tyres, three shopping trolleys, a scooter and a whopping 77 bin bags full of litter. 

Likewise, the Mossley Litter Bugs have been working throughout the town, concentrating on different areas across four sessions. 

They tacked the River Tame and valley bottom on Saturday March 29, before turning their attentions to the playing fields and woods around Egmont Street today (Sunday March 30), and the shops in Top and Bottom Mossley in two sessions tomorrow (March 31). 

The team will then clean Mossley Park on Wednesday April 2, the streets by Milton St John's School on Thursday April 3, before rounding off with a tidy of Lees Road, Hart Mill and the nearby woods. 

A statement from the Litter Bugs said: “If you are unable to make these events, please spend 10 minutes on your street, on your local walk, in the park or by the shops. It all makes a massive difference.” 

Last year’s Great British Spring Clean saw volunteers remove 425,000 bags of rubbish, with a spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy saying: “Many of our volunteers regularly find ‘retro rubbish’ that was dropped many years ago but is still causing harm to our environment today, releasing greenhouse gases as it slowly breaks down in our soil and water, which contributes to the climate crisis.  

“Litter-picking is a simple action that anyone can do to make an immediate and visible difference to the environment where we live, work and play. 

“In fact, 97% of people surveyed after 2024's campaign agreed they felt they had made a difference to their local area, and 86% said they felt part of a national movement that is taking action to tackle litter.” 

The Great British Spring Clean began in 2016 and has seen millions of bags of litter removed from streets and beauty spots across the country. 

Tameside Council’s environmental lead Cllr Laura Boyle said: “We all have a collective responsibility to look after our local environments and while the council has staff working hard to keep our streets clean, we can’t tackle this alone. We need the community on board in looking after our streets. 

“That’s why we appreciate residents’ involvement in campaigns like GBSC. I’d like to offer a big thank you to everyone who are helping to look after their neighbourhoods.” 

Emma Barber, SUEZ's sustainability champion, said: “Working alongside Friends of Tame Valley allows us to make a real difference to the local area. This litter pick was incredibly rewarding, and we collected over a tonne of waste.

"The improvement in the cleanliness of the Valley is a testament to the dedication of Friends of the Tame Valley and the local community. We’re proud to support their efforts.”