England – Following the latest government advice litter picking can now be carried out alone, in pairs, in small groups of up to a maximum of six, including yourself, or two households can meet regardless of size.

West Lavington Parish council is not organising a litter pick this year or providing any equipment. We are however encouraging households to carry out their own smaller litter picks under the following guidance.

Government advice on the lockdown and social distancing may tighten or ease over time, so please ensure you follow the latest advice on COVID-19 for your own safety and that of others.

Take extra care near roads and wear high viz clothing.

If involving children limit duration and take special care

• Stay at least two metres from fellow volunteer and members of the public
• Always use a Litter Picker
• Wear protective gloves
• Wash your hands (before and after your litter pick)
• Use your own bag, bucket or cleansing bag to collect litter in
• Don’t pick up litter with your hands
• Try not to touch your face whilst out litter picking
• Don’t pick any more than you can put in your own bin at home
• Don’t pick up sharps/syringes
• Please keep hold of the litter pickers and bags to use again in the future and don’t share with other households
• Disinfect your equipment before and after use
• Once collected, you will need to dispose of your litter at home using your household general waste bins – your local authority might not have capacity to collect your litter bags during this time – please double check what your local service capacity is
• There is a national ‘Keep it, Bin it’ campaign, run by Defra with support from environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to encourage people to responsibly dispose of their litter
• To help keep you safe by following government advice, personal coronavirus waste (such as used tissues, face masks, disposable gloves, wet wipes or cleaning cloths) should be double-bagged, tied securely and kept separately for 72 hours, before putting into your general waste/wheelie bin at home
• As summer approaches, be aware that certain areas could be very busy so you may want to consider the timing of clean ups e.g. in the evening / early morning and avoiding weekend times
• Be aware of any ‘pinchpoints’ with lots of people congregating. Keep social distancing and wash hands after touching shared surfaces