Disgusted Doncaster couple’s call for action on litter

A rallying call is being made to people who live or work in and around Thorne, to join in a major community effort to clean up the streets, as part of a growing national initiative.
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 A build-up of general litter on streets and in gardens, coupled with an increasing incidence of dog-dirt on the pavements in residential areas, spurred one disgusted Thorne couple to the point of action.

Morgan Dally and his partner Emma Miller have lived in Thorne since 2014, and chose the area because it seemed attractive and was roughly halfway between their respective families in Essex and East Yorkshire, and is a good commuting base with its nearby motorway links.

Morgan Dally and EmmaMillerMorgan Dally and EmmaMiller
Morgan Dally and EmmaMiller
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Morgan, 34, said: “We have just become more fed up over the years as the problems with litter have definitely worsened.

“It’s noticeably dirtier and I’m talking about the residential streets, not the town centre, as that gets more attention from the Council.

“You walk around, or simply look out your window and there's discarded packets, empty bottles, all kinds of rubbish.

Dog owners don’t act responsibly either. I have two children and they can easily step in to messes left at the end of our driveway.

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“We have two dogs but we always clean up after them. Why can’t other people do the same?”

After a notice for the Great British Spring Clean caught their attention, Morgan and Emma, 32, decided to do something about the pervading problem in their neighbourhood themselves.

“We thought this competition was a perfect vehicle to get people interested in helping to clean up the place,” said Morgan.

“We have asked the Council what can be done by them over the years but the issue there has always been funding.

Pile of dumped rubbishPile of dumped rubbish
Pile of dumped rubbish
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“So we have organised a litter pic for April 14 for everyone to join in, and we’re grateful to Thorne and Moorends Council for getting involved by supplying some equipment and delivering the safety brief at the start of the event.

“Both myself and Emma are quite loud people.

“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and set a good example to our two kids and to youngsters all around the place.

“We feel it’s extremely important to educate the younger generation and teach them to have pride in where they live.

“It feels like people have given up round here because it’s so mucky.

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“We’d love to see some pride back in the area again and intend to keep a community group going, with regular events such as planned litter picks.

“We already have about 30 people signed up for April 14 and a number of families are coming along.

“But the more people come, the more ground we can cover and the more difference we can make.”

The Litter Pick will run from 10am with the initial meet in the Memorial Park, Thorne. It will go on all day to 4pm, he added.

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Equipment such as litter picks, bags, gloves and hi-visibility tops will be provided for use on the day.

Many of these have been bought by Morgan and Emma personally, so that they can be used again in the future. 

Morgan has procured a van to collect the filled bags,  and they will recycle as much of the bags’ content as they can.

People can register free on the Thorne Clean-up Community facebook page, or email [email protected]

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“Technically it’s a national competition too,” explained Morgan. 

“Three teams in the Big Spring Clean will win sums of £10,000 for collecting the most litter, and that will be reinvested in to the community, being spent on items such as bins.

“Ideally we’d love to win the money, and we’ll have a go at that,  but if we can spruce up the place, and keep a community group going,  there will be a lot of good comes from the effort anyway.”

He continued: “People seem to do a great deal of complaining about the mess on social media, but no-one appears to do anything about it.

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“Our girls, aged six and one, will be getting involved on the fourteenth, and I’m sure we’ll see others there with their parents. It’s for everyone to join in. “   

Keep Britain  Tidy aims to inspire about half a million people this year, in partnership with community organisations, businesses and the government.

They will bin the rubbish from neighbourhoods for cleanliness, the safety of wildlife, and to restore areas’natural beauty.