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Pick litter to keep wildlife safe

Clean up your local area today. It will help create a safer and healthier world for animals on land and in the water.

Last edited: 11/04/2024

Before you get started

Planning to litter pick

Choose an area for your litter pick. All litter has the potential to harm wildlife, so collecting it from a town centre can prevent it from reaching rivers and woodlands.

Carry out a health and safety risk assessment for your chosen area. As a minimum, we advise: high-vis jackets, gloves, litter pickers, hand wash, sharps box, local wildlife, and environmental conditions.

Decide how you might want to categorise the litter you collect (e.g., by material or whether it is recyclable). You could also create a data collection sheet to document your findings.

Plan how to transport your collected litter from the site to a suitable location (e.g. will a local group collect or store it for you?).

A person sitting in the front seat of a car, pointing at a large paper map.

Instructions

Litter picking

Working in the area

Decide how to litter pick in your chosen spot (e.g. scan areas as you walk or set timed intervals across transects).

Remember to respect animal habitats; we want to leave them cleaner but still in tact. Allocate roles for each person litter picking (e.g., picking litter, carrying the litter, or recording information).

A woman and two children wearing a blue RSPCA bib picking litter in a residential area.

Record and reflect on your impact

Photograph interesting findings or create a before and after showcase from your litter picking site.

You could also analyse your data by counting each type of litter collected or the overall mass. How do you think you have been able to prevent harm from wildlife with the litter you have picked?

A man and two children in the woods, holding a clip board and pointing at a sheet of paper.

Receive your certificate

Take a photograph showing the before and after of your litter picking site, or show us the litter you have picked.

Upload the image below to receive your certificate. Share your work to inspire others and celebrate what you have achieved.