Buck volunteers collect over 1,723 bags of rubbish

Communities around Buckinghamshire have been busy binning and bagging this spring, as Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean has completed its ninth annual run.

Committed Buckinghamshire residents have come together as part of the country's biggest mass action environmental campaign, collecting and safely disposing of litter from streets, parks and open spaces across the county.

Following this year's theme 'the environment is for everyone', community groups and individuals in Buckinghamshire organised over 94 litter picking events around the county – a record breaking year for Buckinghamshire. The majority of the events took place in the South where more than 926 volunteers collected over 1,723 bags, and clocked over 1,852 volunteer hours.

Although The Great British Spring Clean is over for this year, the need for litter picking stays. The council empties over 4,000 litter bins every week, but over 2 million pieces of litter are dropped every single day in the UK, littering our towns and countryside.

Anyone can organise a litter pick or join an existing litter pick group. To get you started, the council can help you to organise a litter pick in your local area by lending litter pick equipment, providing waste bags and collecting the waste after the litter pick has finished. You can find more information on the council's website.

Litter picking isn't just a group activity and doesn't have to take a lot of time. As an individual, you can take part in the Litter Lotto - it's easy, simply download the Litter Lotto app on your phone and take a photo in the app, of yourself throwing some litter into a bin. This doesn't only tidy up our streets, but also gives you an opportunity to win instant cash prizes and offers, as well as giving you the chance of winning a weekly £1,000 jackpot. Local Litter Lotto users also have a chance to win an extra £250 in an exclusive monthly prize draw, aimed just at people binning litter in Bucks!

Thomas Broom, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: "We are so grateful to everyone who got involved with the Great British Spring Clean this year. It was fantastic to see so many residents taking direct action to help improve their local area. I hope that we see more and more people get involved and be passionate about keeping Buckinghamshire's gorgeous landscapes clean and tidy, as this will benefit everyone. After all, every single binned piece of litter counts, from plastic lids to cans and takeaway meal boxes – it all adds up in the end!"