Meeting the Solihull volunteers leading a blitz on litter

An army of volunteers across Solihull has declared war on the litter which can blight parks and other public spaces. This month the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) went out to meet one of the groups leading the fightback:

Plastic is a problem.

Most people have heard the stories about whales found with 80 carrier bags in their stomach or the fact that the average bottle can take 450 years to bio-degrade.

Here in Solihull, litter pickers have reported plucking crisp packets from under hedgerows which date from the days when The Spice Girls were in the charts – the first time – but look pretty much pristine.

Cases like these hammer home that rubbish isn’t just an issue in glistening oceans on the other side of the world, it’s a real headache on local roadsides, in playgrounds and across green spaces.

Emma McGann, from Friends of Shirley Park, is quick to mention the ‘p’ word when we meet her during the group’s monthly litter picking exercise.

“The biggest problem is single-use plastic,” she says.

“You see people playing sports or having a picnic and they just leave their stuff behind.

“We’d like to see a water fountain installed.”

Today the band of volunteers are out on their latest sweep of the park and surrounding area; they also target the likes of Stratford Road, where less considerate people are known to chuck rubbish out of car windows.

In fact nearby ‘Poppy Island’ is planted with more than just the flowers; Emma highlights the problems retrieving items cast aside from passing vehicles.

Aside from the infamous water bottles, other common finds in Shirley include silver laughing gas canisters and cigarette ends.

More unusual objects can also turn up – today what looks like a foam walking stick has been discovered, while old car batteries and shopping carts have been uncovered in the undergrowth in other parts of the borough.

In March, volunteers in Chelmsley Wood even discovered a knife hidden in the bushes near Bosworth Medical Centre – one find not destined for a black bin liner.

Emma highlights the impact that the waste can have on wildlife – the Green Flag park is home to creatures like foxes, badgers and owls – and also mentions the ‘broken window’ theory.

She’s referring to the suggestion by social scientists that visible signs of anti-social behaviour, including littering, can encourage more serious crime.

But she says that recent blitzes have “made a big difference” in the local area and the number of bags stuffed full at the end of each session is falling.

“If an area is clean and clear people will come,” she gestures to the crowds on the grass, many of whom have come for today’s community event.

“This is an excellent day. These families coming along to the park – it’s brilliant.”

We are soon joined by Chris Smith, another member of the group – who are easy to pick out in their high-vis jackets.

He says the Friends want to encourage people to use the park, as well as playing their part in keeping it tidy.

Part of the approach is engaging with young people, from scouts and guides to school clubs – and educating them on the importance of keeping the area clean.

“If you keep giving that message, that message will stick,” he says.

The Friends were set up in 2017 after a travellers’ camp, which pitched up during the summer, had left a major mess behind.

Chris says that many were keen to lead a positive response rather than “shouting at the council, shouting at the police” and he is critical of “keyboard warriors” – who prefer to vent their frustrations online.

The group is now one of many which have established themselves in different parts of the borough – some have been driven by residents’ associations or community groups, while others began as one-man bands and have grown.

There are increasingly stories about dog-walkers who don’t just clean up after their own animal, but retrieve a coke can or two when they’re out and about.

Others go to greater lengths; only last week photos appeared on Facebook of Knowle residents wading out into the village pond to fish out refuse.

While over in Olton father and daughter team Lee and Hannah Skinner were so fed up with the state of a local canal that they borrowed some nets and went out by boat to do something about it.

Solihull Council has hailed these public-spirited residents and last year had introduced “litter picking hubs”, where locals can sign out equipment to assist with their clean-ups.

When the scheme was launched last year, Love Solihull, the council’s flagship environmental team, said it had “received a huge amount of enquiries” from those wanting to do their bit.

Ward councillors from both the Conservatives and Green Party were among those to join the recent efforts in Shirley Park.

Cllr Karen Grinsell, who is deputy leader of the council and represents Shirley East, believes that the litter picks are good for people’s health and encouraged a sense of community.

“It’s great to see youngsters coming in and getting involved,” she says. “Because it’s the next generation that will be looking after these places.”

Cllr Mark Wilson (Green, Smith’s Wood) had also praised the efforts at a meeting last month – singling out the work of local man Sunny Luke in the north of the borough.

While there is a growing movement nationwide – this year’s #GreatBritishSpringClean is said to have attracted hundreds of thousands of helpers – some have raised concerns about residents having to pick up the baton because of cuts in public funding.

When this was raised at a Full Council meeting last year, Cllr Alison Rolf, cabinet member for stronger and safer communities, had denied the council was relying on volunteers “to do its job”.

“What we’re doing is asking people in Solihull to take pride in where they live,” she said at the time. “And to actually engage in doing things to help themselves.”

Chris, who is also involved in Shirley’s award-winning Street Watch group, brushed off the criticism.

“This is our community, this is our area. If we don’t look after our neighbourhood why should it fall on other people?”

“Yes there have been cutbacks, but that’s not going to change,” adds Emma.

“There’s no point giving up and complaining about it, when you can do something about it.

“It’s that old thing of people thinking ‘somebody will do it, anybody could do it, but nobody does it.’ We are the somebodies. We do it because we want to make a difference.”

* Friends of Shirley Park hold their monthly litter pick on the first Saturday of every month, with the next event scheduled for 7 September (meet by the war memorial, near Asda, at 2.30pm). More details of Solihull’s other litter picking groups are available at www.lovesolihull.org

Read more: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/meeting-solihull-volunteers-leading-blitz-16762373