The founder of a Nottingham litter-picking campaign says residents have transformed Sneinton by tackling rubbish themselves.
Sneinton Waste Action Group (SWAG) founder Sarah Taylor started the group after noticing a severe fly tipping issue when she moved to the area.
The group formed after Sarah posted a call to action on Facebook, beginning with seven members in 2024.
Now the group has more than 40 members and has picked around 260 bags of rubbish from Sneinton’s streets.
And they are not stopping there.
Sarah said: “Our house is on a corner, and it was just notorious for fly tipping, literally up against our fence.
“It’s definitely improved now, especially where I live, you can’t even imagine how different it is.”
SWAG is part of Nottingham City Council’s Clean Champions initiative, which provides free litter picking equipment.
Volunteer Amy Coulson said: “The council genuinely appreciate us letting them know that there are problem areas because they are presumably sat in an office.”
Sarah stressed the need to educate the public about proper waste disposal.
She said: “While it’s great we can be out there, hands on the ground showing people how it’s done, it’s not really our job as a group to educate people on where your bulky household waste goes. That’s a council job.
“If you leave an item on the street because you don’t know any different, then you go back two days later and it’s gone, you think that’s what you do.”
The group has distributed posters in hotspot areas to challenge this misconception.
SWAG is always keen for more volunteers to get involved.
Amy said: “Reach out to us on social media. If you see us doing a pick, say hello.
“Come and join in, see what it’s like.
“We can help you get registered as a Clean Champion and get all the equipment for free, it won’t cost you anything.”
Sarah added: “Think before you throw, because small actions make a big difference in keeping Sneinton clean.”
