Tidy Our Town: ‘Our experiment showed that pop-up bins reduce litter by 80 percent’

Mark Watson, who moved to the town in October 2022 and joined the admirable volunteer group soon after, is passionate about the difference that bins can make.

As part of the pop-up bin experiment across the county, many Wombles hung the distinctive purple bags in hotspots to see if it would make a difference to the amount of litter on the ground. Unsurprisingly, it did – but by more than you might imagine.

“I live in Upton and there’s a fair bit of litter close to the leisure and eating facilities in Sixfields,” said Mark. “We conducted the pop-up bin experiment, where we noted the amount of litter on the ground with and without the bags, and it was reduced by 80 percent.”

The committee member explained that there were two purple bags placed in Upton that were “used extensively”, and he was adamant that permanent bins needed to be installed in these areas.

Mark presented his evidence and plea for the two bins to Upton Parish Council at the start of the year, and they agreed to cover the installation and ongoing maintenance costs.

Having felt like he wanted to pay back some of his gratitude, Mark joined Upton Parish Council back in January.

He experienced the willingness of a Parish Council to make a difference among the community, and wants to use this to encourage other members of the public to engage with their local authority.

The bins were installed over the summer, and the reduction in litter by 80 percent has continued. Mark hopes this will inspire others to ask for the help of their Parish Councils when it comes to littering and fly tipping.

“There’s a nice lane going up by the main road in Upton, and I know there are badgers and foxes in there,” said Mark. “The number of dog poo bags that were tossed into the bushes and trees was awful. There has been almost zero since the bins were installed, it had an instant environmental impact.”

Though Mark says that Parish Councils have limited powers, he said they want to listen to what the community would like to see.

Upton Parish Council, which also covers St Crispin, hosted a successful spring litter pick and Mark is developing a focused strategy to tackle the area’s litter hotspots moving forward.

If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].

To get involved and find out more, you can join the Northants Litter Wombles Facebook page here.