With a population of about 8.136 million people, London could be grappling with the rubbish menace were it not for the litter picks that have continued to ensure that rubbish removal London is seamless.
History of litter picks
Litter picks, most of which operate with volunteers, started their operations at a time when the local authorities did not budget for rubbish collection sufficiently in London. Most Londoners also did not bother to place rubbish in the rubbish bins or wheelie bins on the streets.
How litter picks operate
Various groups, brought together by a common denominator like living in the same locality, join hands to remove rubbish in London. Most of them are charity groups focusing on specific parts of London, mostly where the membership is drawn from. These litter picks which are non-profit also have facilities and take the waste to landfills just as their commercial counterparts like Clearabee. Below are some of the litter picks that remove rubbish in London streets.
· CleanUpUk
This is a charity initiative whose emphasis is in the needy and deprived areas of London. As people join hands to engage in rubbish removal London through this initiative, they also get acquainted with each other, hence improving their relationships. Cleanupuk also encourages people to take their own initiative and action to improve the environment where they live. The 12 Boroughs project helps anyone from any part of the UK through the website www.litteraction.org.uk to form a litter picking group.
· Thames21
This group focuses on most neglected areas of the city. It concentrates on London waterways together with communities to clean canals and rivers for people and wildlife. The group engages people of all ages, abilities, and from all parts of society in their local waterways. Through the mobilisation of thousands of people every year, Thames21 help remove litter, get a new habitat for wildlife, and clear drainage systems. They also promote waterways safety and ensure that they are accessible to all. They also promote a safe environment through research and outreach programmes in learning institutions. Just like Clearabee which has network workers spread all over London and beyond, Thames21 has a network of over 7000 volunteers.
· Litter Action
For people who do not already belong to organised groups, Litter Action helps constitute such groups in collaboration with Cleanupuk, a bid to have a cleaner London. With close to one thousand five hundred groups from across the United Kingdom, Litter Action uses high-tech equipment to remove rubbish from London land other parts. Similar to Clearabee and other commercial rubbish collectors, Litter Action uses high visibility vests, sacks, and gloves.
Commercial rubbish collectors have more structural and differentiated products for their clients as compared to litter picks. For instance, Clearabee uses lorries to ferry rubbish from their clients to the recycling plants. They have different facilities to suit the different preferences of their clients. Clearabee boasts of the capacity and capability to remove rubbish from London and beyond, the same day the request is made even if it is made later in the day.
Rubbish collection is not the end goal for the rubbish removal London exercise. Landfilling and recycling are important to ensure that the environment is protected, hence Clearabee recycles all kind of rubbish they collect.
Conclusion
Rubbish removal London needs a lot of concentration and concerted efforts from all stakeholders. Individuals need to stop the culture of littering. The authorities need to emphasise rubbish collection, as well as the noble litter, picks land and commercial companies.