Fed up with seeing local road verges strewn with litter, residents approached Parish and Newark and Sherwood District Councillor Paul Peacock to explore ways of tackling the problem. While the Parish Council keeps the village itself litter-free, Paul liaised with the district council to secure equipment and arrange the collection of filled bags and the Edwinstowe Litter Picking Patrol (ELPP) was born.
Since January 2021, volunteers have removed a huge variety of discarded items that could and should have been disposed of properly. Litter is dangerous to wildlife, and animals, including pets, can become tangled in it with potentially catastrophic consequences. From time to time, volunteers also pick litter along local field and river footpaths, uncovering even more rubbish, including used dog waste bags. Some items can take hundreds of years to degrade and can pollute local water sources and rivers. Dog bins are located at various points around the village. If one is not available during a walk, residents are encouraged to take waste home and dispose of it in their own bin.
During the summer, members of the group supported Newark and Sherwood District Council in removing rubbish from woodland at Deerdale Lane, off Old Rufford Road, where more than 40 tonnes of fly-tipped waste was discovered. Litter picking takes place on the second Monday and the last Saturday of each month, starting at 10.00am and lasting for two hours. Over the years, hundreds of bags of rubbish have been collected. The group has made a real difference, with visible improvements to local roads and paths, making the work both worthwhile and rewarding.
Please bag it and bin it – or take it home for disposal.