A NEW Facebook group has been set up to keep Dumfries and Galloway tidy.
It is supported by the People’s Project and administered by Maggie Holdsworth. And the aim is to bring people together who have an interest and/or involvement in keeping the region tidy, through tackling the litter hotspots across the region.
The organisers hope to: recognise the hard work that’s already being done locally; identify hotspots for litter picking; and support those who want to volunteer to litter pick. They are developing an online map to track both litter hotspots and litter picking activity in the region.
Maggie, who spends many hours per week clearing litter from the A75 around Dumfries, explained her motivations for setting up the group, saying: “I wanted to find out who else was litter picking, where and what areas were standing out for needing litter cleaning.
“I wanted to know what wasn’t getting done and to find other people who might want to do more.
“There is such a joy that comes from litter picking. It’s the before and after. You go to a place that you despair of and you leave it feeling proud of where you are. It doesn’t stop you feeling cross that people are dropping litter but the less litter there is in an area, I think, the less will accumulate.”
Meanwhile, Mark Jardine, of the People’s Project, encourages wide reaching community involvement too and said “Together we can change the culture of litter being the accepted norm in society. If just one in a hundred people decided to keep D&G tidy, by lending a hand and picking up discarded items – we wouldn’t have a litter problem.
“We will never stop people dropping litter, – but we can stop litter being a blight on our beautiful region”
The group can be found on Facebook: Keeping D&G Tidy
