Rochford District Litter picks

Rochford District Litter picks We are a group of volunteers who care about our environment. We organise litter picking events within Rochford District.

If you would like to join us on an event please like this page to ensure you are notified of future events.

We continue to find discarded v**es because of low public awareness about recycling, regulatory loopholes allowing cheap...
10/09/2026

We continue to find discarded v**es because of low public awareness about recycling, regulatory loopholes allowing cheap alternative devices, and a persistent throwaway culture.
Why Discarded Vapes Remain a Major Issue-
Lack of Awareness: About 47% of v**e users do not know that v**es can be recycled, leading many to toss them in regular household rubbish.

Loophole Products: Even though traditional single-use v**es face bans in places like the UK, manufacturers have introduced inexpensive new designs and swappable pods that users still treat as disposable.
Inconvenient Recycling: Many consumers find dedicated recycling drop-off points hard to access or confusing to use compared to throwing items straight into a household bin.
Hidden Dangers: Discarded v**es contain lithium-ion batteries that get crushed in waste trucks, causing hundreds of fires every year at recycling and waste centers. Organisations like Recycle Your Electricals campaign heavily to educate the public on safe disposal.
When we find these during our litter pick we recycle at Tescos or any shop that sells v**es are obliged to recycle ♻️

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT 24 SACKS OF RUBBISH IN WEEKLY CLEAN-UPA COMMUNITY litter picking group in Rochford has removed 24 sac...
08/09/2026

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT 24 SACKS OF RUBBISH IN WEEKLY CLEAN-UP

A COMMUNITY litter picking group in Rochford has removed 24 sacks of rubbish from streets and open spaces during its latest clean-up event.
Volunteers from Rochford
District Litter Picks met near Rochford Railway Station before heading out to tackle litter across West Street, Bradley Way Freight House car park, Hall Road and areas around the Rochford Scouts hut.
Together, the team collected 19 sacks of general waste, a sack of recyclables and discarded v**es, which will be recycled appropriately.
Additional efforts by volunteers in Hawkwell and the group's Paglesham branch added another five sacks, bringing the total haul to 24 bags of rubbish.
Among the more unusual items discovered were a travel cot, buggy bar with toys at-tached, road cone, vehicle parts, glasses and a 2p piece.
A spokesman for Rochford District Litter Picks said: "A huge thank you to every single volunteer who gives up their time and energy to help keep our communities clean, safe and looking their best.
"Your dedication really does make a difference."
Echo Essex thank you for highlighting our team effort.

🌿 Another fantastic day of community litter picking! 🌿Today our wonderful group of volunteers met at Rochford Railway St...
07/09/2026

🌿 Another fantastic day of community litter picking! 🌿

Today our wonderful group of volunteers met at Rochford Railway Station and set off to tackle litter across West Street, Bradley Way, Rochford, Freight House car park, Hall Road and around the Rochford Scouts hut.

Together, we collected an incredible 19 sacks of general litter, plus a whole sack of recyclables (94-in total) and v**es, which we make sure are recycled appropriately. ♻️

And our wider community didn’t stop there! 💚

👏 Our dedicated Hawkwell volunteer collected another couple of sacks, while our Paglesham branch collected a further 3 sacks.

That brings today’s grand total to an amazing 24 sacks of rubbish! 🗑️🙌

Amongst the more unusual things discovered were a buggy bar with toys attached, a travel cot, 2 pence, two glasses, parts of a vehicle and even a road cone and that’s just to name a few! 😂

After all that hard work, we met back up for a well-earned chat, a few laughs and, of course, some photos. 📸

A huge THANK YOU to every single volunteer who gives up their time and energy to help keep our local communities clean, safe and looking their best. Your dedication really does make a difference. ❤️

And a special thank you to Norse for providing us with bags for our litter picks. 🙏

📍 Next week: We’ll be meeting at Ashingdon Memorial Hall and tackling the surrounding open spaces and streets.

Everyone is welcome to come along and join us, the more the merrier! 🌳🧤

Well done everyone! 👏👏👏

After a short break for holidays, Josh was back litter picking again today, as part of his commitment towards his Duke o...
06/09/2026

After a short break for holidays, Josh was back litter picking again today, as part of his commitment towards his Duke of Edinburgh Award- volunteering .

He went around the Woodlands Avenue, Daws Heath Road and Nevern Road area in Rayleigh. He collected 144 pieces of litter including a strange dice! Welcome back-
Well done Josh 🙌

It was a good day for James to continue working in the community volunteering as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award sch...
06/09/2026

It was a good day for James to continue working in the community volunteering as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award scheme- although he’s back to school now he went locally to Sweyne Park to do litter picking this week.

In an hour he and his sister who he has encouraged to join him managed to pick up 190 items of rubbish . A few strange items were found, these included a bag for life, half a toilet seat and a traffic cone.
See the photos below.
Thank you James for sharing your experience with the community, wishing you all the best with your journey through the Volunteers award scheme. Well done to your family for joining in with you.
🙌

❌ Litter picking removes harmful toxins❌from the environment by intercepting waste before it has the chance to degrade, ...
04/09/2026

❌ Litter picking removes harmful toxins❌
from the environment by intercepting waste before it has the chance to degrade, break down, or leak dangerous chemicals into surrounding ecosystems. When rubbish is left in nature, it acts as a continuous source of pollution.

Removing litter stops several specific toxic processes: Many discarded items contain synthetic chemicals that easily wash away into the environment when exposed to rain and sun.
Cigarette Butts: These are the most littered items globally. They contain heavy metals (like arsenic and lead) and ni****ne, which quickly leach into soil and water table systems, poisoning aquatic life.

Electronics and Batteries: If left outside, they corrode and spill highly toxic battery acid, cadmium, and mercury directly into the dirt.Plastic Additives:
Many plastics contain chemical stabiliser’s, flame retardants, or plasticisers (like BPA and phthalates).

Litter picking removes these plastics before these chemicals can dissolve into water systems.
Preventing Microplastic FormationWhen large plastic items such as bottles, bags, and food wrappers when they are left in the sun, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and physical weathering break them down into microscopic fragments known as microplastics.
Once plastic breaks down into microplastics, it becomes nearly impossible to clean up.These tiny particles absorb other toxic pollutants (like pesticides and industrial chemicals) already present in the environment, magnifying their toxicity.
By picking up a plastic bottle today, you prevent thousands of toxic microplastics from entering the food chain.
Protecting Waterways and Aquatic LifeLand-based litter frequently blows into storm drains, creeks, and rivers, eventually flowing out to sea. In water, decomposing trash creates a localised toxic environment by releasing pollutants that lower oxygen levels and alter the delicate chemical balance required for aquatic plants and animals to survive. Collecting litter on land cuts off this toxic pipeline at the source. Stopping Toxic Greenhouse Gas Emissions As certain types of waste (especially organic waste trapped in plastic packaging or layers of buried trash) slowly rot in the open air, they undergo anaerobic decomposition.
This process releases greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Promptly removing waste ensures it is processed through structured waste management facilities rather than off-gassing in public spaces.
Thank you to our community of litter pickers

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT 21 BAGS OF RUBBISH ON BANK HOLIDAY PICK VOLUNTEER litter pickers spent part of their Bank Holiday hel...
02/09/2026

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT 21 BAGS OF RUBBISH ON BANK HOLIDAY PICK

VOLUNTEER litter pickers spent part of their Bank Holiday helping to clean up the district, collecting dozens of bags of rubbish and recycling.
Members of Rochford District Litter Picks gathered in Hawkwell before covering Hall Road, Cherry Orchard Way, Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park and the nearby car park.
The group collected 21 sacks of rubbish along with a large bucket of recycling.
Among the more unusual items found were a football, four tyres, a hard hat, a buggy, a gas canister, road signs, cash, a saw, part of a sink and a pair of designer pants.
Volunteers also reported finding large numbers of bottles, cans, v**es and four sacks of suspected cannabis-related paraphernalia.
A spokesman for Rochford District Litter Picks said: "Well done to every single volunteer who gave up part of their Bank Holiday to care for our local environment.
"Every bag collected makes a difference, and together we are helping to keep our communities cleaner, safer and more
pleasant for everyone."
We also thanked KFC Rochford for their generous hospitality 🙏
Well done everyone

🌿🧤 BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY, MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY! 🧤🌿While many were enjoying a Bank Holiday lie-in, our amaz...
31/08/2026

🌿🧤 BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY,
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY! 🧤🌿

While many were enjoying a Bank Holiday lie-in, our amazing Rochford District Litter Pick volunteers were up early, out in the sunshine and getting stuck in! ☀️👏

Together, we collected an incredible 21 sacks of rubbish, plus a large bucket of additional recycling. ♻️

Our team covered a huge area from Hawkwell, along Hall Road and Cherry Orchard Way, through Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park and the car park.

And what a haul it was! Alongside the usual litter, we discovered some rather unusual items… including:

⚽ A football
🛁 A large plastic trough
🪴 A flower pot
🚗 Four tyres and a hubcap
🛣️ Road signage
👷 A workman’s hard hat
👖 Calvin Klein pants!
💷 Some cash
⛽ A gas canister
A Saw, spanner, half a hand basin .
A Buggy
Sun Glasses
♻️ And lots of cans, plastic and glass bottles, plus an alarming number of v**es.

There were also four sacks of what appeared to be homegrown cannabis-related paraphernalia, which certainly made for some interesting finds!

A special welcome once again to James, who joined us during his school holidays as he continues working towards his Duke of Edinburgh Award. James brought his family along too and was amazed at some of the unusual things he discovered. ⚽🧤

“James had an enjoyable time litter picking today. With help from his sister they picked almost two bags and we'll over his target of 100-150 items. Amongst the usual v**es, bottles and litter he found two individual socks, a discarded "L plate", a bag of used spray paint canisters and a football.”

After all that hard work, we were delighted to be invited by KFC Rochford to enjoy their hospitality. 🍗😋

Thank you, KFC Rochford, it was absolutely delicious and very much appreciated! ❤️

👏 Well done to every single volunteer who gave up part of their Bank Holiday to care for our local environment. Every bag collected makes a difference, and together we are helping to keep our communities cleaner, safer and more pleasant for everyone.

NEXT WEEK:
We’ll be meeting at Rochford Railway Station and tackling the surrounding areas.

Everyone is welcome to join us, no experience necessary, just bring yourself, gloves 🧤 and a willingness to help! 🧤🌳

Rochford District Council will arrange for all the collected rubbish to be removed.

💚 Small actions. Many hands makes for a cleaner Rochford District. 💚

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT LARGE AMOUNT OF RUBBISH IN WEEKLY TIDY.VOLUNTEER litter pickers in south Essex have collected a huge ...
27/08/2026

VOLUNTEERS COLLECT LARGE AMOUNT OF RUBBISH IN WEEKLY TIDY.

VOLUNTEER litter pickers in south Essex have collected a huge amount of rubbish during their weekly clean-up effort.
Members of Rochford District Litter Picks focused on the Church Road area and Southend Road car park, removing bottles, cans, general litter and even two discarded tyres.
The group also found children's clothes scattered across the car park after bags left beside recycling bins had been torn open by wildlife and the wind.
Among the more unusual items collected were L plates, P plates, a scooter, a McLaren buggy, china cups and even a number of peppers.
Volunteers returned later to finish clearing areas they had not managed to complete earlier, collecting a further two bags of rubbish.
A spokesman for Rochford District Litter Picks said: "Another fantastic turnout from our wonderful volunteers.
"Thank you to everyone who came out and helped s today, you're all brilliant."
Thanks to Echo Essex 🙌
Next week we will meet at KFC carpark Rochford and clear the surrounding area meeting together at Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park. All welcome to join us.

Today James and his Dad went litter picking at Grove woods and were there for about an hour and a quarter. Whilst they d...
25/08/2026

Today James and his Dad went litter picking at Grove woods and were there for about an hour and a quarter. Whilst they didn't really have a target of how much to pick up, they managed to fill a full sack up and also came home with some random stuff to recycle, including some v**es, some glass, a strange metal object and a kids gaming chair, which was taken to Castle Road recycling ♻️ centre. James is working towards his D of E award Volunteering his time and recycling to help the environment. Well done James 👏👏🙏thank you.

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