Planning a Tidy Up

Planning ahead is important to the success of your event and if you take note of the following steps and advice, your tidy up will be immensely rewarding and great fun.

Preparation

Firstly, it is important to decide where you would like to do your tidy up. This could be anywhere from a local landmark to a well known 'grot spot.' It is essential that you get permission from the landowner before your event. If you are tidying up council owned land it is particularly important that you gain permission well in advance of the tidy up as the process for approval may take some time.

At an early stage, you need to think about what you will do with the waste once it has been collected. Usually your council will help by collecting the rubbish or providing a skip. If you are planning on removing the rubbish yourself you should ensure that your local 'tip' is equipped to take it. If a commercial waste company is collecting the rubbish or delivering a skip, they will make a charge and want to know what the waste is.

Encourage people to separate and recycle rubbish where possible. You may want to give out different coloured bags for different recycled materials and make arrangements for separate recycling collections - check with your council.

You may already be part of a group wishing to do a tidy up. If so, involve them at the planning stage and make it a real team effort.

If you plan a large scale tidy up perhaps you could drum up support from other groups in your area: community and youth groups, tenants' associations and environmental groups are just a few of the many who could be interested in making an impact on their local environment.

Plan Ahead

It is important that the event organiser visits the site and completes a risk assessment before the tidy up. It may be helpful to make a sketch map of the area to be tackled. Note where the skip or litter collection points should be. If you are expecting a large number of people, you may also want to identify a 'lost and found' point and a first aid point. Mark on the map the location of any toilets and any other useful amenities. You might also note places where you could shelter from the rain if the weather turns against you. This map can then be used on the day to show different groups where they should be working, the set up for the day and the facilities available.

Community Involvement

If you want to involve a wide range of volunteers from different sectors of the community in your tidy up:

• Put up posters in local shops and supermarkets, in libraries, community and leisure centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, schools and parish or community notice boards
• Send out a press release to your local media calling for volunteers well in advance of your event with details of whom to contact and how people can get involved
• Contact your local council to see if they have a volunteer bureau or speak to your local Community Volunteer Service who can help find volunteers and offer advice

Make it Fun

The key to getting people involved in your tidy up is to make it as much fun as possible. Whether you turn your tidy up into a sponsored challenge, have a event theme or even enlist the help of a local celebrity, the more interesting and fun the event, the more people will want to take part.