Community cleanups
A community cleanup is a great way to show that you and your group care about your local environment. It will also encourage other local residents to take pride in their neighbourhoods.
However big or small you intend your event to be, we can lend you litter picking equipment and give you all the advice your volunteers will need for a successful, safe and enjoyable event.
We'll even come and take away the litter you collect at the end of the day.
How to make your cleanup safe and successful
Location
Decide where your cleanup is going to be. It could be your local park, play area, beach, school grounds, cycle track, footpath or your own street. Don't forget to ask the landowner's permission if the land is privately owned.
Volunteers
You don't need a large group to make a difference. Ask friends, family and local residents. You could also drum up support from other groups in your area, such as community groups, businesses, schools, church groups, Scout and Guide groups or environmental groups.
Try to make your event as fun as possible to encourage more people of all ages to give up their time to take part. You could theme the event or run it as a challenge or competition and give it an exciting name.
Publicity
If you want to drum up more support for your event why not publicise it? Tell all your friends and consider putting up posters in your local shops. Please email publicrealm@lancaster.gov.uk to publicise your event using our social media channels and post photos of your achievements when the event has taken place.
Registration
To order your litter picking equipment, please complete a Litter Picking Equipment Request Form. This should be completed by the lead volunteer before the start of any litter pick.
We require 10 days’ notice of the litter pick to ensure equipment is ready for collection at Morecambe Town Hall. After submitting the form, you will receive a response with further details.
Staying safe
Litter picks are generally very safe and it is unlikely that you will encounter any serious hazards or incidents, but as the organiser of the litter pick, you must ensure that all volunteers know the risks and understand the control measures before clearing any litter.
Before starting your clean-up you should think about any hazards you might come up against, and carry out a risk assessment using our Litter Pick Risk Assessment Form.
You may like to consider taking out public liability insurance if you will be organising regular events with lots of participants.
Volunteer briefing
Before you start your cleanup, gather your volunteers together for a briefing to introduce yourself as the lead volunteer/organiser, so they know who to go to with questions/to report an incident, and to let them know about:
- The boundaries of the cleanup area
- Health and safety risks
- First aid arrangements and what to do in case of emergency
- Meeting point and time
- Where to leave the full bags of litter
Be considerate
If you are working in the countryside or open spaces, please be careful not to disturb animals or damage plants, and leave natural rubbish such as logs, stones etc alone.
For further information please contact:
Report a weed problem
With effect from April 2020 Lancaster City Council took the decision to stop using the weed killer glyphosate due to concerns about its potential effects on the environment and the health of humans and animals.
As a consequence, it passed responsibility for weed killing on the public highway to Lancashire County Council, which had previously paid the city council to undertake the work on its behalf.
To report a weed problem to Lancashire County Council please use the link below and then select the 'Tripping hazard' option.
Last updated: 27 August 2025