Celebrating Bristol Waste’s volunteers
Bristol residents give up their time to keep city clean and green
It’s Volunteers Week! Volunteers are a big part of our work here at Bristol Waste. From people who are passionate about litter picking to residents with an eye for reuse, here’s how volunteers have dedicated their time and effort to keeping Bristol clean and green.
Reuse Shop volunteers
Our three busy Reuse Shops in St Philip’s, Avonmouth and on Hartcliffe Way are run with the help of our shop volunteers, who gave up an incredible 2,500 hours in 2023 to stop items from going to waste. They process donated items, organise the shop floors and assist shoppers to help them find second-hand treasures. Find out how you can help out in the shops and join the reuse champions.
Community litter pickers
There are 23 active litter picking groups in Bristol, from Westbury-on-Trym to Whitchurch, where over 700 residents are part of the Whitchurch Wombles. These groups litter pick their areas on a weekly or monthly basis, connecting their communities and keeping them clean and green. In 2023, they collected over 4,000 bags of litter, and just this year, our community engagement team have loaned out 723 litter pickers to help the enthusiastic volunteers in their work. If you’d like to start litter picking in your neighbourhood, read our guide and check out the groups near you on our litter picking page.
Big Tidy Businesses
Companies large and small who are keen to play their part in keeping Bristol clean have dedicated 28 hours and over 250 volunteers to litter picking over the past 12 months! Through the Big Tidy project, businesses can get their teams out in the sunshine and work together to bring the sparkle back to communities across the city. Companies such as Lloyds Banking Group, BT Group have not only found litter picking to be rewarding, but a great way to get teams chatting to each other. If your business would like to become a Big Tidy Business, contact the Big Tidy at bigitdy@bristolwastecompany.co.uk
Unsung heroes
As Bristol is a growing city, we know there are residents in Bristol who take care of their streets, parks and green spaces every week, unseen. If you are one of them or know someone who looks after your street, we are so grateful! We’d love to hear about and celebrate your work, so if you’d like to share what you do to keep Bristol clean and safe, share it at hello@bristolwastecompany.co.uk
