A Sunday Litter-pick: Community, Conversation & Change

It was Sunday morning, and I had promised myself I would join the Positive Action Group (PAG) for a litter pick. I’d seen their posts on Facebook before, and now that I’ve moved to Elgin, I want to get more involved.

Not going to lie—when Sunday morning arrived, it was a bit of a thought. But after Storm Eowyn, the area was a mess, with litter everywhere, and I do believe that if more of us did more and moaned less, life could be a bit better for everyone.

We arranged to meet at Elgin High School at 11am, so I wandered down. I can’t believe I actually felt nervous! What if nobody else turned up? What if nobody wanted to speak to me? Well, I was happy to have my mind shut up for being wrong. As I approached the car park, people started getting out of their cars. There was a wide age range—from a young child, maybe seven years old, to her granny, with all ages in between. The group organisers, Sarah and Rhian, were so bubbly and friendly that any nerves quickly disappeared. They were armed with all the tools—litter pickers, black bags, and special bag hoops (game changers!).
After a quick chat and a “How’s everybody doing?” we split up and started tidying the litter around the high school.

After a quick chat and a “How’s everybody doing?” we split up and started tidying the litter around the high school.

I stuck with Rhian and Sarah to find out how it all started. During COVID, while out on their daily exercise, they kept noticing the amount of litter lying about. Rhian suggested they take a black bag with them and pick some up instead of waiting for someone else to do it. So they started clearing up.

Rhian explained how COVID and lockdowns had a detrimental effect on people’s mental health. ‘When you go out in the fresh air and your community looks like crap, you feel like crap’. Improving the area they walked in improved their mental health. Sarah had the idea of setting up a Facebook group to see if anyone else wanted to join them—little did she know just how many like-minded people would get involved. The group now has 1.7k members—that’s massive!

As the weeks went on, more and more people joined them. They built a good relationship with Moray Council, who helps arrange for their collected rubbish to be picked up. Post-COVID, many people have returned to work, and life has got busy again. It did for Rhian and Sarah, too. Could this be reflective of volunteering as a whole? The cost of living crisis, more people working from home—which, contrary to belief, often means people don’t stop working—burnout setting in. Their numbers may be smaller now, but their enthusiasm more than makes up for it.

While chatting, we climbed a fence or two, clambered up a slope, narrowly avoided falling in a ditch, and wandered along a verge, having a good old chinwag and solving the world’s problems. I asked Rhian what the most common litter items were.

Sarah and I also discussed the Deposit Return Scheme and how much that would help with the amount of litter we see lying about. We both hope it will be implemented soon, as it could make a real difference in reducing waste and encouraging recycling.

I wondered if that was one of the barriers to more people taking part in litter picks. Is it entitlement? Embarrassment? We talked about the stigma around litter picking—how it has been used as a punishment in the past, and maybe that puts people off. How weird to feel embarrassed about helping to make your community a nicer place to be! Well, there was none of that at PAG. The members I met were enthusiastic and just eager to get the place looking better.
Sarah also talked about change and how there needs to be a shift in people’s outlook. She said we can no longer wait for change to come from the top—politicians, councils, whoever. It’s up to all of us to get off our bums and make the changes we want to see.

We were out for two hours—one hour around Elgin High School, collecting seven bags of rubbish, and another hour beside Asda, collecting another seven. Fourteen bags in total! Fourteen bags of plastic bottles, empty crisp bags, cans, food wrappers—and one bag full of dead snails (don’t ask). Fourteen bags of rubbish that could have harmed wildlife, damaged the environment, and affected people’s mental health and sense of community.

As we stood looking at the pile of bags, we started wondering—where does all this rubbish actually go? How much of Moray's waste is recycled and where? And what happens to the waste that isn’t? It’s a big question and worth looking into. (That’s one for a future blog!)
I thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday litter pick. As Sarah said, it gets you out of the house, you don’t have to pay a gym membership, and it actually keeps you fit—it’s a bit of a no-brainer!
I’d highly recommend joining PAG or your own local litter pick. I came away with a real sense of accomplishment and was inspired by Rhian and Sarah’s enthusiasm. You don’t need to climb fences or clamber up grassy banks—though parkour litter picking was mentioned! There’s something for all abilities. So if you want to help the environment, have a bit of social interaction, or just make the place look better, a litter pick is definitely a great way to spend some of your free time.