Guest blog: Mark Rowlands’ One Million Bags Challenge
To mark the launch of this year’s Great Bristol Spring Clean, 28 March to 21 April 2025, we’re celebrating some of our litter picking heroes 🦸🚮
This week, we have a guest blog from One Million Bags Challenge founder, Mark Rowlands.
Read all about Mark’s litter picking journey and how you can get involved in his own words below ⬇️
🌍 One Million Bags Challenge: A Game-Changer for You & Your Community! 💚♻️
I love the outdoors, I love keeping fit, but I can’t stand seeing litter. I use Strava, a free fitness app, to track my walks and runs — it logs my steps, calories burned, and routes.
One day, I had a thought: What if we could turn everyday exercise into a movement that benefits both people and the planet?
That’s how the One Million Bags Challenge was born — a nationwide effort to get people outdoors, fitter, and making a real impact by collecting one million bags of litter in 2025.
Why does this matter?
Traditional anti-litter campaigns have been around for years, but many people zone out from these messages. We need fresh ways to engage people, and this challenge does just that! It’s not just about tidying up—it’s about making litter-picking an active, rewarding habit that benefits you and your community at the same time.
Think about this:
🚗 How many parents sit in their cars scrolling on their phones while waiting for their kids at sports clubs? A quick 10-minute litter pick turns wasted time into a win!
🐶 What if every dog walker picked up just ONE bag of litter a day? The impact would be huge for our parks, streets, and local spaces.
Beyond a cleaner environment, this challenge brings real benefits:
✅ Less litter, less crime – It’s not just about aesthetics. Studies show that littered, neglected areas can attract more anti-social behaviour and crime. When spaces are clean and well-maintained, we create environments that discourage vandalism, loitering, and dumping.
✅ A mental reset – In today’s fast-paced world, many of us feel overwhelmed. Litter picking provides a moment of mindfulness — a way to slow down, breathe, and focus on something simple yet meaningful. Many participants say it helps them feel more grounded, reduces anxiety, and boosts their mood.
✅ Feel-good fitness – Litter picking is a full-body workout in disguise! You’re walking, squatting, stretching, bending, and carrying — engaging muscles you wouldn’t normally use on a simple walk or run.
How to join the challenge:
Joining is easy! All you need is a free Strava account and the motivation to make a difference. Follow this link to join.
Twitter/X users can also take part by adding #onemillionbags to their litter picking posts.
Free equipment and collection of bags 🙌🙌
Bristol Waste can provide you with all of the equipment that you need and they will also collect your bags of litter through simply completing an online form.
Find out more about planning a safe and enjoyable litter pick and book your free kit here.
With 3,500+ bags already collected, we’re proving that small actions lead to BIG change.
🌟 Will you give it a go? Let’s hear from you in the comments! 👇♻️ #OneMillionBags #MindfulAction #StrongerCommunities
Mark Rowlands
Founder, One Million Bags Challenge 🌍♻️🏃♂️
Let’s make every step count — for our health, our communities, and the planet! 🌎💚♻️ #OneMillionBags
