MANY of the north's leading businesses, including Moy Park and Graham, have put their backs into it in Northern Ireland’s largest clean-up, the Big Spring Clean.
And this year's initiative, organised by charity Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful as part of its Live Here Love Here campaign, produced record-breaking figures as 127,864 volunteers cleaned up at 3,868 events, lifting 43,447 bags of litter - equivalent to 263 tonnes.
The campaign covered all communal areas such as parks, shores, forests, rivers, beaches and reservoirs.
Volunteers from businesses (it was also supported by the likes of Greggs, NI Water, Translink and McDonald’s UK), schools and community groups across the north attended organised litter picks or created their own community-based events across a month of activity to clean up and protect our eco-system from harmful plastics.
Jodie McAneaney, Live Here Love Here manager at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, said: “Our volunteers are fantastic, they are so proactive and as our results show, they are making a real and credible difference but we really need more support from local businesses.
“We actually have a programme where businesses can take things one step further and ‘Adopt a Spot’ - taking ownership of a particular area. We want to harness this passion from local communities - supporting with advice and the tools needed to make a real difference.
“This particular initiative is open to local businesses allowing them the opportunity to partner Northern Ireland’s largest community environmental and civic pride campaign with dedicated support from a Live Here Love Here project officer.”
Businesses which sign up to ‘Adopt a Spot’ (there is an administration fee of £350) will receive an adoption pack containing all the equipment needed to run a safe and successful clean up such as high-vis jackets, litter pickers, a first aid kit, gloves, litter bags and a hints and tips booklet.
