Bodmin litter pickers near 1,000 bags as fly-tipping rises

Twenty-three pairs of hands turned out on a baking Wednesday morning to clear Berry Lane and the streets around it. What they left behind in a heap tells its own story. A child’s purple bike, a large terracotta planter, oil and paint containers, gym equipment, a tyre hub and a traffic cone, all piled on top of dozens of bulging bin bags.

Thirty-six bags, and then some

The Bodmin Tidy it Team filled 20 bags of rubbish and 16 bags of recycling, a couple of the recycling bags collected by Debs and Andy V. On top of that came the extra haul of junk, everything from electrical bits and an old bag to the planter and the cone. It took the group’s running total since it started to 926 bags, edging closer to a thousand.

The turnout in Bodmin included first-timers Amber, River and Meadow, along with Noah, who came along during the school holidays.

📷Credit: Bodmin Tidy it Team

Fly-tipping is on the rise, and quick to report

The team says rubbish and fly-tipping are increasing around the town. Their message is a simple one. If you spot dumped items or discarded rubbish, you do not have to leave it there.

Reporting it is easy. Let Cornwall Council or Cornwall Housing know where it is and what has been left, and they will arrange for it to be removed. It takes a few minutes and it saves a volunteer crew from having to clear it by hand weeks later.

Join the next pick

The team thanked everyone who gave up their morning, including Nat, Ezra, Penelope, Willow, Gary, Theresa, Anne, Nigel, Lin, Sue, Trish, Paul, Ash, Jo, Lindsay, Andy D, Tom, Max and Gilly, as well as waste firm Biffa and Clean Cornwall.

The next litter pick is on Wednesday 19 August. Volunteers are meeting in the Sainsbury’s car park at 9.45am, and everyone is welcome.

📷Credit: Bodmin Tidy it Team