Schoolchildren take hands on action to stop littering
A community anti-litter campaign in Gants Hill has been launched, supported by children at Gearies Primary School and led by resident Herbert Street. The campaign has included children creating posters and banners to encourage the community to stop littering, which are being displayed in local businesses and parks.
The campaign, in partnership with residents, Redbridge Council and Vision, saw the creation of a number of posters featuring the children’s handprints to encourage local people to take power into their hands to make their community cleaner. These are showcased in businesses along Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, as well as on banners rotating around Clayhall Park, Valentines Park, Martley Drive and Redbridge Recreation Ground.
The children discussed how litter made them feel, with many arguing it was impacting their local parks and stopping people from visiting them. Gearies Primary School pupil Asha Mellies said: “We shouldn’t litter as animals might get trapped in it.” Her classmate Darius Stefan-Socarici also warned that “litter can cause injuries”.
Look out for the posters in the shop windows and the park banners, or download a poster and display it in your home or shop window. 
Gants Hill resident Herbert Street said: “I became involved in the campaign because I am genuinely embarrassed when friends and relatives visit because of the amount of litter in Gants Hill. Everybody can take personal responsibility for disposing their trash properly and responsibly whether they are at home or out and about.”
Discussing why the campaign included schoolchildren, Herbert added: “to instil a lifelong interest in caring for our parks and streets. We are hoping for a ripple effect as the children discuss the issue with parents and older siblings. The children were perceptive in that they recognised not just the impact on the local area, but how rubbish makes its way to the sea and has a wider impact on the global environment.”
The campaign was the result of a co-designed community research project between residents, Redbridge Council and University College London (UCL). Residents led on a survey to learn how people felt about litter locally. Findings showed that people's perception of litter is wide ranging, from repulsion and lack of pride in the area, to association with safety and wider anti-social behaviour. It also demonstrated that while many residents looked to the Council to solve the litter crisis, 45% of residents believed that individual behaviour is the main cause of litter, which led to the creation of the community campaign. The insights from the research project are feeding into the development of the future Gants Hill Community Hub.
If you’d like to get involved or explore other ways to take action on similar issues, register for a free place at an environment-focused workshop on 19 September.
To learn more or be kept up to date with Hub developments register here.
