Animal lovers prepare for Great British Spring Clean to protect wildlife and pets from litter

National environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has issued a rallying call to animal and nature lovers across the nation to 'Love Where You Live' ahead of the Great British Spring Clean (March 13 to 29, 2026).

Please feel free to add these dates and link to your community event pages where relevant to get your audiences involved.

Content we can provide includes:

• Ready-made news articles featuring quotes and a picture with volunteer litter-pickers and some of our Litter Heroes Ambassadors and RiverCare & BeachCare group leaders who champion litter-picking in regions across the UK.

• Interviews with Keep Britain Tidy's CEO Allison Ogden-Newton OBE ahead of the campaign's official launch.

• The charity will be releasing statistics on Monday 9th February about the astonishing littering behaviour of adults across the UK and government regions, but these will be under embargo until the campaign launch on Friday February 13th. (If your outlet has deadlines significantly in advance of this e.g. to prepare a monthly magazine then please approach us and we will consider releasing earlier.)

• Campaign artwork (attached) which again is under embargo until February 13.

• Pictures and quotes from the soon-to-be announced winners of the annual Great British Spring Clean awards that recognise people who have gone above and beyond to protect the environment from litter. Categories are:
  • Litter Legend (Individual)
  • Litter Legend (group)
  • Young Litter Legend
  • Outstanding Organiser (local authority award) 
  • Best in Business (business and campaign funders award)
  • Leading Litter Hero (for registered Keep Britain Tidy Ambassadors/RiverCare & BeachCare group leaders)
  • Super Student (schools/pupils)

Media outlets that are interested in these materials are encouraged to e-mail press@keepbritaintidy.org 

BACKGROUND 

Over the past decade, the groundbreaking Great British Spring Clean campaign has united an army of millions of Litter Heroes – from communities, schools, businesses to local authorities - to tackle litter, with the equivalent of more than half a million wheelie bins pledged since 2016.  

More than 30 million tonnes of litter are dropped every year, costing the country the best part of £1 billion annually to clear up, injuring our wildlife and pets and polluting our environment with plastic.  

Now the biggest mass-action environmental campaign in the country, volunteers pledge to protect our environment during the annual event by picking a bag, or more, of litter. More than 462,000 bags of harmful rubbish were removed from our streets, parks and beaches during last year's campaign – the tenth time it took place. 

People can pledge to pick via the charity's website: www.keepbritaintidy.org and can also register for free for the charity's Litter Heroes programme, funded by People's Postcode Lottery.