Five reasons to keep Thame tidy!

DID you know that around 2.25m pieces of litter are dropped on the streets of the UK every day? Thirty million tonnes of rubbish are collected from England’s streets each year and it costs councils more than £1bn a year to clean up?

Members of Grace Church, Thame, help tidy Thame, 2016

We can all do our bit to help bring this figure down. Saturday, March 25, is an important day in the local calendar because it’s time for the annual Thame Tidy and Moreton Muck-Out Day. Rosemary Bryant, organiser on behalf of 21st Century Thame, said: “We need as many people as possible to come along to the Town Hall on the day and help us tidy Thame and Moreton. Anyone can join in – young or old, individuals or groups; families welcome. Just come along any time between 10 am and 3 pm and collect litter pickers, hi-vis jackets, recycling and rubbish bags from the Thame Lions gazebo outside the Town Hall and get litter-picking!”

Rosemary continued: “There will be eight drop-off points around the town where litter can be left and the Fire Service will help with collecting heavy items. Litter will be collected from the drop-off points by ASM and taken to the Recreation Ground at Southern Road for Biffa to collect on the followingMonday. So come and join us and help keep Thame litter-free! We are also grateful to our sponsors Unicarriers for their support of this event.”

Rosemary pointed to five good reasons (with kind acknowledgements to Litter Heroes http://www.litterheroes.co.uk ) why you should come along and help pick litter in Thame and Moreton on Saturday, March 25.

1. It’s enjoyable and a great excuse to get out in the fresh air, get some exercise and do something useful.
2. You’ll make a big difference – twenty minutes litter picking can really transform an area. Today’s litter is so in-your-face that removing it makes a big difference.
3. You’ll feel good – litter picking is surprisingly rewarding. It’s very satisfying to look back on a clean, rubbish free street and know it’s down to your efforts.
4. You’ll help prevent further littering – studies have shown that people are less likely to drop litter in areas which are litter-free. By helping keep somewhere clean, you’ll discourage
littering.
5. Your countryside needs you – we live on a smal,l overcrowded island. We do not have so much open space and countryside that we can afford to trash it with litter. Today’s litter is very long-lived, it doesn’t rot or degrade in a hurry. If we don’t pick this stuff up it will still be there for our great-great grandchildren.

She added: “Thame is a delightful place to live and we need to feel proud of our place by keeping it litter-free! Please join us on Saturday, March 25, and make a vital difference.”