Tidy Our Town: What has our campaign with the Northants Litter Wombles achieved in 2024?
We are proud to have collaborated with the Northants Litter Wombles on our ongoing ‘Tidy Our Town’ campaign – and this is only the beginning.
As 2025 is on the horizon, this is a great opportunity to see what our town has achieved in minimising the prominent issue of littering and fly tipping over the past year.
Launched in February 2024, the Chronicle & Echo has published 36 stories as part of the campaign – many of which have spotlighted the hard work of dedicated volunteers, grotspots that need tackling and what change the community would like to see moving forward.
The aim has been to contribute to breaking the cycle and shifting the mindset among people who litter and fly tip, which results in frustrated members of the community picking up after them.
One thing this campaign has achieved so far is showing the Northants Litter Wombles is an initiative we should be proud of.
Though it is a double-edged sword that we need thousands of volunteers taking to the streets to rectify the wrongdoings of those who do not care for our environment, this group represents the much-needed zest and passion to do the right thing.
84,000 bags of litter had been collected over the course of three years when the Tidy Our Town campaign launched in February. Just six months and a whopping 16,000 purple bags later, the group hit the impressive 100,000 milestone.
People of all ages have shown how easy it is to get involved – whether that is solo picking your own street, or joining a sociable group pick with the Northants Litter Wombles. Admirable nine-year-old Amelie Mills led by example with her ‘World Thinking Day’ pick back in February.
From the children of our future who will keep the litter picking momentum going, to the University of the Third Age (u3a) who use their time to do good, we hope Tidy Our Town has shown litter picking is for anybody and everybody.
Over the past 10 months, West Northamptonshire Council also approved a clamp down on inappropriate bin storage – which is in the early stages of being rolled out to make the town centre a cleaner place as regeneration works continue.
A continuous fly tipper was also prosecuted and hit with a heavy fine following her court appearance, which sparked hope among local volunteers that the authorities were using their powers for the greater good of our environment.
Although hope is the most prevalent feeling among the Northants Litter Wombles, who put their heart and soul into improving our county day-in-day-out, there is still much to be done.
The group would love to see the installation of more permanent bins – as their experiment showed pop-up bins reduce litter by 80 percent – and abandoned trolleys have also been slammed as “extremely frustrating”.
These important conversations are ones we will continue to have for the greater good of our town and county as we transition into 2025.
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, launched in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].