Is there a stretch of river, canal side, public street or patch of land where litter regularly accumulates? Make sure the spot is accessible to the public and that it is safe to work on with a group. If you have a few options, seek out a place that is close to public transport and amenities to make it easy for people to join in. 

If you are struggling to find an area, speak to your local council – they should have a good idea of sites that need attention. This will also save you duplicating effort and working at a site that might already have a scheduled clean-up.

Get permission from the landowner to run the clean-up. If you don’t know who owns the land, speak to the local council, or search the UK Government website.

You may need to do this to get permission, but this is also a good chance to enlist some help! Your council should also arrange litter collection for you at the end of the event, and may also be able to provide litter picks, bags and any other equipment you may need. Find out if they can accommodate separate recyclable and non-recyclable items. The council team’s availability for litter collection could also determine when you can hold the event, so it is important to have these conversations early on.

You'll also need Public Liability Insurance to cover the day, as you would with any public event. All Britain in Bloom, It's Your Neighbourhood and RHS Affiliated Societies have access to affordable insurance. You could also seek advice from the Association of British Insurers. Download a sample RHS Risk Assessment for an idea of what should be included. Please note this form should be used for reference only. 

Speak to any other interested groups that might want to join in and help boost numbers. Could you work with a Scout group, a local residents group, or a school, for example? 

Make arrangements that suit you and would also be likely to suit the most number of volunteers, perhaps a week day evening if it is summer time, or a Sunday. If there is another group joining you, their availability will obviously be key. 

If you're working in Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful has a support pack and more tips on running a successful event, as well as a map to add your event. 

Get the word out so that people are able to join you on the day and rally your volunteers. This also helps to raise your profile, as well as awareness about the issues you're addressing, so volunteers may join you next time if they can’t make the first event.

Check to see if there is a national or regional campaign you could hook your event on to in order to broaden your reach and help volunteers feel part of something bigger. Keep Britain Tidy runs the annual Great British Spring Clean, while the Marine Conservation Society runs the Great British Beach Clean.

 

Provide tea and coffee, or bring food to share following the event. This could be food from your own crops or inviting people to bring a sample of their own produce or tasty treats. Gathering around the tea table is also a chance to talk about the other projects people could get involved in, or to hear people’s great new ideas for issues to tackle.

This will give you rough numbers of who will come along, so you can prepare equipment and refreshments. It also helps people firm the date in their mind. Visit our working with volunteers page for more information on recruiting and supporting your helpers.

Make sure they know which area you are covering, what to collect and what not to collect. People should wear gloves and use a litter-pick if possible. Leave sticks and anything natural alone, and advise them not to touch a syringe or anything hazardous. Items such as this should be reported to the event co-ordinator and then to your local council, unless the event co-ordinator has been briefed and trained in dealing with them. Discuss this process with them when you register the event.

Make sure people will have access to a toilet. If there isn't one on site, perhaps speak to a nearby pub to see if they will allow your volunteers to use their facilities, businesses are usually supportive of people working to clean-up the local area! If there are no nearby facilities, you might need to consider hiring a portable toilet, depending on the length of the event and your budget. Again, this is something you could discuss with your local council in case they can support or advise.

 

Advise people to wear gloves and wash their hands before they touch their face or eat and drink. Make sure all your co-ordinators have read the risk assessment and that volunteers are aware of any specific risks of the site, such as potentially dangerous waste, trip hazards, etc.

Make sure you record the number of bags of litter you cleared – this can help with your records, but also to promote your achievement. Some groups like to survey the litter they collect to get a sense of the most regularly discarded waste items. Keep Scotland Beautiful has a sample form you could use.

Celebrate your event and thank your volunteers! 

If you're on social media, share a post about what you've achieved and publically thank your volunteers again. This is also a chance to promote the next opportunity for people to get involved. Local press may also be interested. Visit our resource on promoting your work for more tips about getting the word out.

Consider what worked well during this event and what you would do differently next time. If there is a need for regular clean-ups, perhaps it could be monthly, or tied in with planting days? Ask your volunteers for their feedback too, and incorporate their ideas if possible. 

If there is a problem with litter in your area, think about other ways you could work to tackle this in your community group in the future. Perhaps you could raise awareness of the problems with plastic litter and how it affects wildlife through posters and promotional materials. You may be able to visit local schools, or work alongside the council to educate families, perhaps by hosting talks or film nights.