Plastic Free Axminster volunteers collect nearly 15 bags of rubbish

Volunteers filled nearly 15 bags with rubbish at Plastic Free Axminster’s first litter pick.

Around 30 local residents took part in the two-hour event on Saturday, March 9.

The clean up operation concentrated on the area from Vale Lane to Axminster Railway Station, including adjacent land at Axminster Tesco.

Plastic Free Axminster community leader and event organiser Rebecca Green said: “One of the things we immediately noticed was that so much of the litter we found was made of recyclable materials, yet instead of being recycled it had just been discarded.

“The area where we collected most of the litter from was around Tesco. Even though there are several bins provided, we were amazed by the amount of rubbish – predominantly drinks bottles and cans, along with chocolate bar and sweet wrappers.”

The event, which was supported by East Devon District Council and Axminster Town Council, is the first of many planned by the group which intends to hold a monthly litter pick, focusing on a different area of the town each time.

In addition, Plastic Free Axminster is introducing a new initiative - first created by Sidmouth Plastic Warriors - in which residents can pledge to ‘Adopt A Spot.’

Rebecca explained: “Not everybody is able to attend our litter pick events so ‘Adopt A Spot’ is a fantastic opportunity for people to still get involved and help rid their community of litter.

“Anyone can sign up and ‘claim’ a street or area that they voluntarily pledge to litter pick in their own time. You can do this whenever you want, for as little or as long as you want.”

For further information or to find out how to get involved, join the group’s Facebook page which can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/plasticfreeaxminster/ or email: plasticfreeaxminster@gmail.com