A fantastic way to start improving your neighbourhood is by doing a community clean up. We value the help and support of communities who take pride in their area and organise a clean up.
We can help by:
- supplying litter picking equipment
- offering advice for risk assessments
- providing Public Liability Insurance cover
- arranging for the waste to be uplifted
Where to carry out a clean up
We can support your local litter picking efforts by suggesting key locations to litter pick where we would welcome your support. Please contact wasteservices@falkirk.gov.uk and we will provide you with a map showing these key safe litter picking areas.
We will only uplift litter that is collected from council owned public land.
If you are unsure what land is public or private, we will provide a map to assist you.
We advise groups not to pick litter from private land. If you want to litter pick on private land, get the landowners permission first as it's their responsibility to dispose of the litter. Under the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (CoPLAR) all duty bodies have a responsibility to maintain their land (for example; local authorities, educational institutions, Network Rail and Scottish Canals).
Equipment we can provide
- Hi-visibility vests
- Litter pickers (infant, children's and adult sizes)
- Black bags (for non-recyclables)
- Clear bags (for recyclable cans, tins and plastic bottles)
- Hoops to hold your bags
- Public Liability Insurance for the clean up event (we will cover groups with public liability insurance, however, our risk assessment control measure guidance must be applied and signed off in advance of a clean up event taking place)
How to book your clean-up
All you have to do is:
- choose an area in your neighbourhood that is in need of a clean up
- choose a suitable day and time to do the clean up
- register your clean up with us and we'll get in touch
We recommend you contact us at least 2 weeks prior to your event. This allows enough time to book and process your request, prepare equipment and organise the collection of your litter.
Prior to your litter picking event, we also recommend a risk assessment is carried out beforehand. We will supply you with a risk assessment guidance form; however, it's each volunteer's responsibility to ensure they work safely together.
We'll pick up the litter you collect
When we confirm your clean up, we will advise where we'll pick up the collected bags of litter.
Do not overfill the bags, bags should be a manageable weight for our collection crews.
We will collect the black bags after your litter pick.
We will not collect glass – please use local recycling points to dispose of this type of litter.
Where to pick up and return your litter pick equipment
Collecting equipment
- Once you have booked your event, we will be in touch to confirm your booking.
- We will then ask you to collect your equipment from our depot with an allocated day and time slot.
- Our depot is located at Dalgrain Depot, McCafferty Way Industrial Estate, Grangemouth, FK3 8EB.
- We will email a map and instructions advising where to collect your equipment once you arrive at the depot.
Return equipment
- Once you are finished with your equipment, please return it to the dark grey returns container at our depot on the agreed return date and time. If you cannot return the items on the date and time given, please contact wasteservices@falkirk.gov.uk in advance.
- Once returned, we will cleanse the equipment and make sure everything is there. If there are any issues with the equipment (eg missing items), we will be in touch.
Group guidance and health and safety
We also recommend:
- You wear suitable footwear and clothing
- Avoid litter picking in crowded or busy areas.
- Always wear protective gloves during your litter pick. Please note, we do not provide gloves.
- Sanitise your hands before and after your litter pick.
- Use a litter picker and the provided bags to collect the litter - do not use your hands and avoid unnecessary bending.
- Do not touch your face when litter picking.
- Sanitise your equipment before and after use. Remember, bags and litter pickers (handle and grabber) all need to be cleansed after use.
- Please ensure your bags of litter are presented at the agreed collection point. Apply manual handling when lifting or moving the bags of litter (lift and move items using your legs to bend, not your back).
- Ensure you pass on all this information and guidance to your group ahead of the litter pick.
- Please do not attempt to collect broken glass as this could tear the bags and injure volunteers and collection staff. If you encounter broken glass please report this by completing the online form on the Street Cleansing section of the website or call 01324 506070.
- Do not attempt to lift any drug paraphernalia – including hypodermic needles. These have to be uplifted by trained Falkirk Council employees. If you encounter these items, please report this by completing the online form on the Street Cleansing section of the website or call 01324 506070.
- Fly-tipping and bulky items – Do not attempt to move larger items which cannot fit inside your bags (e.g. tyres, traffic cones, garden waste, bricks or rubble, furniture or white goods). All fly-tipping should be reported via MyFalkirk.
- Do not pick up asbestos on your litter pick as it is dangerous and requires specialist disposal. Report it via MyFalkirk.
- Please use extreme caution when litter picking beside a road, due to the risk of being struck by vehicles. Volunteers should only pick where there are wide verges or pavements, suitable for pedestrians, and should be carried out facing oncoming traffic. It is essential that volunteers are visible to road users, for that reason, hi-visibility vests must be worn and litter picks should only take place in clear daylight.
- Try and avoid reaching into hedges as your face, eyes and skin could be scratched by thorns of branches. Also please be mindful of wildlife. In the springtime avoid disturbing animals and birds that may be nesting and in the summer time be wary of wasp and bee nests.
- Do not attempt to enter or reach into burns, ditches, rivers, or any steep slopes.
- Do not attempt with climb into or remove items from waste/recycling bins. If there is an issue with bin contamination, please email wasteservices@falkirk.gov.uk
- What to do if an accident occurs - Have contact details of the nearest hospital and walk- in centre. If possible, carry a small first aid kit and cleansing gel or hand wipes.
We are working closely with our litter clean-up partners Keep Scotland Beautiful. Further information and guidance can be found in the Clean Up Scotland information pack (keepscotlandbeautiful.org)
- Downloads
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Guidance for litter pick volunteers 2022
ODT file, 621.7 KB
Contact us
Keep Scotland Beautiful
We are working closely with our litter clean-up partners Keep Scotland Beautiful. They have Clean Up guidance information and resources to help you promote litter picks in your local community.