MORE than 60 adults, parents, children, town and district councillors and East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds helped to launch a week-long town litter pick.
Organised by Beth Svarovska of the Petersfield Society, the initiative finishing this coming Saturday is aimed at cataloguing the type of litter picked up, as well as tidying up the town.
Beth said: “It was a litter pick with a difference, as it wasn’t just about picking up dropped litter.
“It was also part of the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) consultation about a deposit and return scheme for plastic drinking bottles.
“The UK uses 14 billion plastic drinks bottles every year, and quite a few end up as street litter.
“So Defra is looking at and consulting on a scheme whereby when you buy a plastic drink bottle you pay a deposit that is refunded when you return it.
“So we will be separating the plastic bottles out of the litter and that number will be included in the Petersfield Society contribution to the Defra consultation.
“The deposit and return scheme could lead to billions of bottles being taken out of the annual waste cycle.”
Mr Hinds added: “I was delighted to be at the launch of a litter pick initiative, which will be input into the Defra consultation.”
Beth says there’s still time for those who are interested to get involved, and to learn more email her at: [email protected]
More information on the Defra consultation can be found by visiting: www.consult.defra.gov.uk/introducing-a-deposit-return
The consultation by the government department is open until May 13.