On Sunday 12th May, Binfield Environment Group and Binfield Parish Council joined forces to tidy up the route ahead of the annual Binfield 10k race. About 20 people turned up to help which meant that not only were we able to litter-pick the entire route, we were also able to tidy-up another couple of lanes in the village. Thanks to everyone’s hard-work we were able to show off our village looking at its very best to all the people participating in and supporting the increasingly popular 10km event. Credit also needs to be given to the local running group who also tidied some of the route, and the race organisers who checked the route after the event to make sure that no litter had been produced by the event. The litter-pickers on Sunday 12th May filled 37 refuse bags with litter, separated into recyclables and general rubbish, in about two hours. We estimated that between us we collected about 100 plastic bottles, and 3-4 times that number of cans. Our estimate of plastic bottles collected was entered into the figures for the national #greatplasticpickup campaign. It was brilliant that so many people turned up to help with the litter-pick, most of whom said that they would be willing to do it again. Some of the litter that we collected was several years old, which suggest that an annual event will make a significant difference on the litter in all but the worst areas. Research has consistently shown that when an area is kept clear of litter, people are less likely to drop litter, and less likely to commit other anti-social activities. Hence, it is in all our interest to take action to keep the village tidy. You could pick up litter yourself perhaps as part of a regular walk, or report those who you see dropping litter. Although it is disappointing that small amounts of litter have subsequently been dropped in some of the areas that we cleared, it does appear that litter-picking these lanes and paths once a month will enable us to keep them clear. In Twyford, individual residents have adopted particular paths and streets and they make sure that they stay clear of litter. If enough people were interested in doing this in Binfield, we will look into allocating everyone a patch and providing appropriate advice / equipment. Please contact BEG or the parish council if you are willing to help. The worst areas for littering in the village seem to be those where rubbish is thrown from cars. This is an offence that can attract a spot-fine of up to £150. If you see someone throwing litter from a car in the village and are able to take a picture that identifies the car without putting yourself in any danger, then please send the details and the picture to the parish council.
