Features / easton
Lone picker leads charge against street litter in Easton
A resident has taken matters into his own hands to tackle the persistent litter blighting streets in Easton.
Ben, a local freelancer, recently collected five bags of rubbish from St Mark’s Road in just one hour.
Sharing his effort on a Facebook community group, he quickly received praise from locals.
Defiantly, Ben says: “If no one else will do it, then I’m just going to pick it myself.
“I want to see it clean and cared for like other areas.”
The state of streets doesn’t have to be that way, he adds.
Five bags full – Ben shared his effort on Facebook group BS5 Community – photo: Easton Clean Up Crew
Since sharing his efforts, Ben has rallied up other concerned residents who want to take action, callings themselves the Easton clean up crew.
Ben embodies the grassroots mindset that individuals at a local level can inspire lasting change. For him, Easton is a place close to his heart and “It’s important that it’s treated with respect.
“Not everyone can afford to give to charity, but we can all give an hour a week to help clean up.
“If everyone just cleaned up outside their house or shop, it would make a big difference.”
Abdul Ali, who works in Alazaz Corner Shop on St Mark’s Road, said the issues with litter and fly-tipping in the area are persistent, with all sorts being dumped in the alley down the side of the shop.
He said: “It’s an ongoing problem, some mornings we can’t open the front door as there is always litter.”
Fly-tipping is a common site in the alley next to Alazaz Corner Shop – photo: Carla Wakfer
The collaboration doesn’t stop there, he is eyeing Bristol Waste for future support to begin a regular collective effort to keep the area clean.
And Bristol Waste have heard his calls, Hannah Deas, communications manager at Bristol Waste said: “At Bristol Waste, we run campaigns like the Great Bristol Spring Clean and projects like the Big Tidy to help people feel pride in where they live and empowered to make a change.
“Our small but mighty community engagement team supports thousands of residents with litter picking kits every year.
“Collecting litter costs the city around £6m a year, which is money that could be used on other important services.
“We’re therefore grateful to all the residents who litter pick, whether it’s a one-off, weekly or monthly. If you’re in Bristol, it’s free and easy to get involved – just head to the Bristol Waste website.”
The scale of the waste problem in Bristol is significant.
Bristol Waste reported that its street cleaning teams cover 28,000 miles of streets each year, which is more than the circumference of the Earth.
In 2024, these teams cleared a total of 10,315 instances of fly-tipping.
Bin and food waste sprawled on the streets have become the norm – Photo: Carla Wakfer
The impact the volunteer litter pickers have is hugely significant, having collected 7,787 bags of litter in the same year.
Dagmar Smeed, head of marketing and communications at Bristol Waste said: “Volunteers who help bring the shine back to Bristol are real community heroes.
“Litter picking makes a real difference to neighbourhoods – it brings communities together and delivers benefits for mental and physical health.”
Dagmar also appealed to anyone inspired by Ben’s actions: “We provide kits, guides and advice for anyone looking to set up a group. We can also offer practical support to residents who want to organise.”
If anybody is keen to inspire the next generation, they also have the Little Big Tidiers scheme that encourages children to have a go at litter picking.
Ben suggested entertaining or motivational signs be put up in Easton to encourage participation and hopes to work closely with Bristol Waste to make this a reality.
For more information on how to get involved, visit Bristol Waste’s website or join Ben’s Easton Clean Up Crew group on Facebook.
Carla Wakfer is reporting on Easton as part of Bristol24/7’s Community Reporters programme, aiming to amplify marginalised voices and communities often overlooked by mainstream media.
This initiative is funded by our public, Better Business members and a grant from the Nisbets Trust.
Main photo: Carla Wakfer
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