Dear Team Members
Please be reminded that nobody should be taking risks to remove litter.
We must insist you do not litter pick on grass verges to busy roads, central reservations and traffic islands etc. Please notify Cheshire East Council or a Clean Team committee member if you want to report a problem of litter on a busy road.
Here is a reminder of our safety guidelines - Thank You 😇
Middlewich Clean Team Guidelines for
volunteer litter pickers
Thank you for volunteering to help
make Middlewich a cleaner, more attractive place to live for everyone. Below are some points which you might not be
aware of. This guide is for your safety,
please read it carefully.
1.
It is recommended that a picking stick
be used to pick up litter and that strong thick gloves be worn to protect hands
from cuts, infection and penetration by broken glass and discarded hypodermic
needles. Litter carries potentially harmful bacteria; for example Toxocariasis
from dog faeces which can cause blindness, and Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease)
transmitted in river and canal water from rat urine; discarded needles can be a
source of HIV and/or sexually transmitted diseases
2.
If you take other people with you on
litter picks you must make them aware of possible hazards. People under 18 must have the permission of
their parent or guardian and be supervised at all times by an adult, and in
some cases it may be wise to exclude them from the operation.
3.
Under no circumstances touch or remove
hypodermic needles. They should be
covered up if possible, and the position marked. For safe removal call the Community Wardens
on 0300 123 5021.
4.
Footwear – strong footwear is recommended
to protect feet from the hazards mentioned in point 1. Lightweight, canvas or open toed footwear is
not recommended.
5.
Please be aware of road safety and
consider the location you plan to pick very carefully. Locations such as grass verges to busy roads,
central reservations, traffic islands etc. should not be tackled by volunteers
without consultation with the police and highways authority. For these areas traffic control and
experienced personnel would be needed and suitable high visibility jackets
worn.
6.
Take great care near canals and
rivers. Do not reach into water or down slippery banks. There should always be
a minimum of two people working near water.
7.
Do not overfill bags so that they
become heavy. To prevent injury when
lifting, keep the back straight, do not twist and use your leg muscles rather
than your arms or back. Be aware that
bags of litter may contain sharp hazardous items as highlighted above.
8.
Volunteers should ideally pick in
groups of two or more. Be sensible about
such things as time of day; e.g. litter pick in daylight and leave plenty of
time to dispose of rubbish before nightfall.
9.
Volunteers should not spend more than
one or two hours at each litter pick.
With groups of six or eight people even very bad areas can be cleaned in
about an hour.
10.
Private land should not be picked
without the permission of the owner of the land as you would be
trespassing. On no account enter
derelict or dangerous buildings to retrieve litter.
11.
If you find large items such as
household furniture on public land make note of where it is and ring Cheshire
East Council on 0300 123 5021. You must not remove such items from private
land.
12.
Be pleasant at all times to passers-by
who may make adverse comments about litter picking. Do not get into verbal arguments with them as
you be putting yourself in danger and it could reflect poorly on the Clean
Team.
13.
After litter picking, wash hands
thoroughly. Store litter picking
equipment in a shed or garage if at all possible, rather than in your home, for
health reasons.
