Members of SI Bolton have for many years taken an interest in environmental issues, supporting schemes such as “National Spring Cleaning Week” and “Keep Britain Tidy Roadside Care”. They chose to take responsibility for a stretch of the Bolton ring road stretching from Halliwell Rd to Moss Bank Park. At the park gates an enthusiastic group of us don high vis jackets and rubber gloves, grabbing “grabbers ” and plastic bags provided by the local authority and also subsequently collected by them. Road signs also indicate that SI Bolton Club maintains the area. Keeping these signs fixed in the right place is a job for the tallest member present! (see photo at end of article)
In 1988 the Mayor of Bolton presented a Civic Pride Award to the Club.
Items of litter collected are mainly small, often discarded from vehicles; larger items that have been collected have included a complete front bumper bar from a car and a broken drone!
The most recent litter pick which took place in June involved 6 members and a “Soroptimister”. Seven bags were filled with toffee papers, plastic bottles, tin cans and cigarette ends. There are fewer cigarette ends than in the past as not so many smoke these days or they take them home.
As a club we are concerned about non recyclable plastics being used causing damage to the environment and it was pleasing to note that we collected less of these items than in the past.
We were delighted at the number of motorists who took the trouble to toot their horns and thank us for picking up litter, proving that as a nation more people ae becoming aware of the hazards litter causes and people are volunteering from as young as five years old to 80 years old in a bid to improve our environment.
