How To Start Your Own Clean-Up Group

 

Cleaning up our local areas is an easy and effective way to take action and show respect for our neighbourhood and wildlife.

It’s also a great way to meet like-minded people - introverts and extroverts alike - and get started on our climate action journey. 

Not only this, they open our eyes to the problem in real time, and lay the foundation for the next step; standing up against the production of the rubbish in the first place. 

Single use plastic is made by fossil fuels and, for the most part, need not be created.

That’s why all our community actions are backed up with education and coinciding ways to get involved in system change.

Our quality of life will be all the better for it!

If you take part in, or host your own clean-up group make sure to take pictures and tag us @climateloveireland

Together, we can inspire more people to get out litter picking.

 

GETTING STARTED

To start your own clean-up group you will need equipment.

Depending on your preferences, you could begin simply with cleaning gloves and a bin bag from home immediately.

But if you would like to feel more professional, the best first step is to contact your local county council.

On the phone, state that you are part of Climate Love Ireland and would like to start you own local clean-up group.

Then ask if they can provide the materials; pickers, high-vis, bin bags and gloves for the amount of people you want involved (5/10/20). 

Every council is different. Dublin City Council was very accommodating and delivered all the materials we needed within a day which we could keep for future clean-ups.

Some smaller county councils may ask you to come in and collect the materials. Some may have less equipment available.

In general the councils wants to help, so it’s up to you to talk to yours and see how they work.

Also explain to them the day and time you plan to go out picking so they can arrange for someone to collect your bags or recommend a place to put your bin bags. 


PICKING AN AREA


Identify an area that you want to focus on - it’s best to start small and familiar.

You can always expand to cover a larger area later on.

This could be a local park, a section of a river, beach or a route you regularly take to work or school.






GETTING A GROUP TOGETHER

Next, reach out to friends and family to join.

If it’s difficult to engage these people, Climate Love are always happy to help promote clean-ups.

Just drop us a DM or email us at info@climateireland.com with the details and we can create a post.

Other ways to get the word out is to suggest it with your school or workplace, to create posters, or word of mouth.

Don’t get disheartened if you can’t find lots of people to join you right away.

Sometimes the smaller groups have the best chats, and once you start taking action yourself, others will likely be inspired by your enthusiasm and get involved in their own time.

MAKING IT FUN

Litter picking can be a therapeutic social activity and a pressure free way to meet like-minded people.

You can try engaging people more by creating teams and competing to see who can collect the most within a specific area or time frame. Kids especially love this kind of thing. 

Bringing some flasks of tea, or crisps or a BYO lunch is a great way to wrap up a productive day outdoors too for whoever would like to stay and chat further. 


GET CREATIVE

Climate Love Ireland don’t have merch, but if you want to show that you’re a Climate Lover who belongs to a wider community, we highly recommend making your own at home using existing clothes and materials. 

Simply find a high vis, old t-shirt, a tote bag and use paint, markers, pens, or whatever materials are at your disposal. The trick here is to make use of what’s already available, rather than going out to buy art materials - get creative instead.

Finally, draw, paint, or sew the Climate Love symbol onto your bag or vest. Our logo is a heart above the earth showing unity and love to be the guiding principals forward. It’s shaped like an exclamation point to show an active spirit in finding solutions to the problems we face.






EXISTING CLEAN-UP GROUPS

Climate Love Ireland already has existing groups around Dublin - one in Portobello and one along The River Dodder. To get involved in those, email us at info@climateloveireland.com or keep your eyes peeled on our Instagram and our newsletter where we share clean-up details ahead of time.

We also like to collaborate with and promote other existing clean-up groups. Collectively we can reach our shared goal faster. Here are some great groups we recommend. If you would like your group added to this list send us a mail at info@climateloveireland.com


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