Ten volunteers braved a chilly November morning to take part in a litter pick organised by Culloden Community Council – filling 15 bags of rubbish in just two hours.
The group focused on known litter hotspots including the Culloden Avenue Gruffalo walk, the fields surrounding Hazel Avenue, the Marie Curie Field of Hope and the front entrance to Culloden Academy.
Izzy, 12, (left) and Linsey Macrae after collecting two bags of rubbish from the popular Gruffalo walk on Culloden Avenue.
In the woods near Culloden shop alone, volunteers removed 25 discarded glass bottles – all of which were put into glass recycling.
Families and residents of all ages took part, including the group’s youngest helper -six-year-old Fraya who is a pupil at Duncan Forbes Primary.
There was also strong support from community councillor Linsey Macrae and her 12-year-old daughter, Izzy.
Izzy, a first-year pupil at Culloden Academy, said: “Litter picking shouldn’t be seen as a punishment, it should be seen as doing something for your local area.
“We had lots of people saying thank you, and it would be great to get more people involved.
Culloden Community Council treasurer Heather Barot and Fraya, 6, working together with their litter pickers.
“If you see something, do your bit and pick it up.”
Culloden Community Council chairwoman Catherine Bunn added: “I agree with Izzy, too often we use litter picking as a punishment.
“Instead we should be encouraging everyone to do their bit for the environment and keep our local area tidy.
“We also need to ensure that when infrastructure like bins are installed, we choose items that are fit for purpose, not just the cheapest.
“We have a problem locally with seagulls and crows raiding the bins.
“To help prevent littering, we need a combination of self-responsibility as well as having the bin actually containing the rubbish.”
The group collected 15 bags of rubbish during their two hours of hard work.
Culloden Academy provided a useful base for the event, with volunteers able to use its facilities before and after the litter pick.
The community council plans to meet with the school to explore how the wider school community, Highland Council and local residents can work together to reduce the need for future large-scale litter picks, by tackling the problem at source.
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