Residents and community groups have been praised by Birmingham City Council for their long-term dedication to keeping their neighbourhoods looking as good as possible.
For many years the council has supported people with a passion for their local areas by supplying litter picking equipment and arranging for collected waste to be taken away.
Since the start of the current financial year in April alone, more than 5,000 pieces of equipment and 20,000 bags have been issued to those taking part in clean-ups – with anyone who is interested in joining the effort invited to contact the council to gain similar support.
Cllr John O’Shea, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks, said: “The people of Birmingham have made it very clear that one of their top priorities is cleaner, greener streets.
“Achieving that goal is very much a team effort. As a council we need to provide reliable and effective services – everyone involved from street cleansers and refuse collectors through to managers are pulling in the same direction to improve what we do day-in, day-out.
“But our residents, businesses and visitors to Birmingham have just an important a role to play. This is our shared environment. That’s why for many years we have been immensely grateful to the thousands of individuals and hundreds of organisations who go out in all conditions to take care of their areas.
“We’ve been there in the past, we are here now and we will be there in the future to work with anyone with the common aim to keep our city clean. This isn’t a short-term thing. We are in this for the long haul.”
Any new groups or individuals in Birmingham with an interest in taking advantage of the council’s offer of support should visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/litterpick for more details and to request equipment which is ready for distribution.