Great Aycliffe Tidy Team, have been operating for one year now, the first group meeting was on the 9th of March 2021. The group started in February 2021, three friends met whilst walking on the Locomotion Way, the discussion was about the litter problem in the local area. The first litter pick, with the three of us, was on Burn Lane near to Cobblers Hall shops.
Following a letter in the Newton News during February 2021, to attract more people, we met at Horndale Play Area, and collected a good number of sacks of rubbish, a car battery and other heavy items just dumped in the bushes. On that day we had a group of 9 people, the same people are still very regular pickers.
The Team work with the Town Council, who provide the sacks and the litters pickers (the tools). The Town Council pick up the rubbish we have collected. The biggest haul we have made was between Moore Lane and Travellers Green. The Town Council staff, were amazed, at the amount of rubbish we had collected, just dumped in the woodland and hedgerows. Around the town we have removed Builders Rubbish and the remains of DIY Projects, some of the items are quite useful and in excellent condition.
One of the regular members is very unhappy, when people dump soil and compost into Woodland, still in the plastic sacks. Without the plastic sack, the soil or compost would become part of the Woodland soil.
We try to recycle some of the glass bottles and cans but at times, with the amount we find, it is impossible. Unopened cans of alcohol have been found and still before the best before date!
The Town Council are able to weigh in the scrap metal that we find.
Even with the voluntary work we do, it still costs the Town Council (The Council Tax payer) money. The cost of sacks, tools, fuel for the vans and the cost of disposal of un-recyclable waste, is paid for by the tax payer.
I would like to thank all of the Litter Pickers in the Town and Great Aycliffe Town Council staff, for trying to clean up the Town.
Ian Gray

 

On the first anniversary of GATTs existence some more examples of the litter thrown about by those with less pride in our area.