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Adopt your Street!

Members of ALi - Aberdeenshire Litter Initiative - took to the streets of Stonehaven earlier this summer for the launch of Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum's Waste group Adopt-a-Street scheme. Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful John Summers performed the opening ceremony with the backing of three giant empty crisp packets and Aberdeenshire Provost Bill Howatson, who lent his support as a volunteer litter-picker. And very natty we all looked too in our fluorescent citrus yellow tabards wielding our litter pickers (funded by Aberdeenshire Council).

Said John Summers "there is no doubt these voluntary efforts will go a long way towards making an area more attractive to residents and visitors alike. Keep Scotland Beautiful will be giving this initiative our maximum support."

Stonehaven and District Community Council have already instigated their anti-litter campaign and certainly the tidy town centre bore this out. Councillor Peter Bellarby and his wife Ann have been the driving force in encouraging their community to get involved in 'making a clean sweep.' Said Peter, "It's just a matter of getting across to people the maxim of 'Do a Little, Change a Lot.' Individuals tend to think their little effort won't make much difference - but it does!"

The Aberdeenshire Litter Initiative (ALi) has come about through like-minded individuals, groups, organisations and businesses geting together to form a partnership which it is hoped will be a self-administering voluntary local body engendering care and pride in participants' local communities. On the lines of a strategy highly successful in North America, Adopt-a-Street volunteers can commit to clearing an area at whatever time and frequency best suits them.

Volunteers are advised to re-use supermarket carrier bags for their collections, to be disposed of via their own fortnightly waste collection, though if they are willing to separate waste for recycling it would be a most welcome bonus! Volunteers will be give guidelines on the safe handling of litter and take part at their own risk. Co-ordinator of ALi George Niblock told me, "Results from the areas covered are to be put on a Geographic Information Mapping System so we know where we have volunteers and where there are gaps."

Anyone interested in getting involved can contact George Niblock on 01467 621902 or george@niblockenvironmental.com

Article reproduced from the Green Diary by kind permission of author.