Charity: West Lothian Litter Pickers

It sounds simple – a Facebook group of people who want to keep West Lothian looking beautiful, clean and safe by picking up litter.

But, as I discovered when I spoke to the founder of the West Lothian Litter Pickers (WLLP), it’s become much more than that.

Bathgate resident Jason Wilcox, who set the group up two years ago, described for me the journey and the behind-the-scenes operation.

“Collectively, we’re pulling 10,000kg of rubbish out of the environment every month. A lot is legacy litter - it’s been there for a very long time. And then there is fly-tipping and the never-ending task of picking up freshly-dropped litter.”

There are now almost 2000 people involved in the group, many of them active in regularly picking up litter, and it’s growing into Jason’s original aspiration – to have spin-off groups in every village and town throughout West Lothian, each looking after their own patch.

Active members are issued with a litter picker and hoop. Some people are picking up litter in their spare time, on a lunch break, with their kids or on a daily walk. There are also organised meet-ups. “For the organised meets, we focus on problem areas, and ones that are not regularly covered by West Lothian Council,” explains Jason. The event is published on the Facebook group along with instructions on where to safely park. A safety brief is given, and high vis vests and equipment are issued for those who need it.

The arrangement with West Lothian Council is that once pickers have collected their bag/s of litter, they leave them next to a bin and email a dedicated inbox at the Council, who then collect within 24 hours. The Council also supplies bags, and has provided a number of hoops and pickers to the group.

To get to this stage though has required huge effort and organisation, on the part of Jason initially, then the board who joined him. To bootstrap it, Jason invested in some equipment himself, and before the Council or any organisations would engage with him, he needed to formalise the group with a constitution, public liability insurance, risk assessments, and other red tape.

The Council has only six employees picking up litter across the whole of the county, and they barely keep up with the quantity of bags that the WLLP keep filling! The group has its own wee trailer for taking bags and larger items to the dump too.

The board has half-yearly meetings with Keep Scotland Beautiful; six-weekly meetings with Operational Services at the Council. There is constant community engagement via schools, country park rangers, Forth Rivers Trust, River Almond Action Group, to name a few.

Jason was nominated for a Keep Scotland Beautiful award last year. The WLLP group is the largest in Scotland, and one of the largest in the UK. He has an international following on Twitter. “But the members of WLLP are the real heroes,” he says, “They’re regularly up to their knees in mud, pulling legacy litter out, as well as all the stuff dropped yesterday. A special thanks is due to the committee - Rebecca Gallagher, Mark Reilly, Jim Allen and a special mention to Carol Salem who has been with me since my second pick.”

“I just hate litter” he adds simply. If you hate it too, see the side boxes below for how you can get involved.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED - This is the group to be in to make new friends, get out and about this summer locally and make a difference to the local environment: Join WLLP on Facebook: West Lothian Litter Pickers (Act Local, Think Global )

DONATIONS NEEDED - Can you help with a donation towards WLLP running costs? Local businesses or individuals – every donation makes a huge difference! On-going costs include equipment – a litter picker and hoop cost £50 each – high vis vests, public liability insurance, and keeping the trailer on the road.

Contact WLLP via: Email: westlothianlitterpickers@gmail.com Message the Facebook group, search: West Lothian Litter Pickers (Act Local, Think Global )

“Our group was set up on Facebook in December 2020 as a local hub for West Lothian Litter Pickers and we have been growing every day with almost 200 members now.

BROXBURN & UPHALL LITTER PICKERS – A LOCAL HUB

“Our group was set up on Facebook in December 2020 as a local hub for West Lothian Litter Pickers and we have been growing every day with almost 200 members now.

We work as individuals or in small groups collecting litter on the streets, pathways, and parks in the Broxburn and Uphall area to create a lovelier place to live and work. You may have noticed our piles of refuse bags left beside the council litter bins.

All age groups help us which is lovely to see. Parents are keen to get their kids involved and to teach good life values, passing on love for the environment.

We distribute picking kits and refuse bags locally, so people don’t have to go too far to get them. Members share the results of their picks on Facebook where they are met with appreciation.

Want to help? Then join our Facebook group “Broxburn & Uphall Litter Pickers.” Donations to secure additional equipment are always welcome and we acknowledge the support we have had from Forth Rivers Trust and SusTrans, in particular.

Your first pick can seem challenging since you think everyone is watching! Soon you learn though, through thanks from passers-by and toots from car horns, that you are setting a good example and making a difference which is both rewarding and motivating. It can be quite addictive although it seems that the more you pick, the more you see!

There’s always room for more people to get involved working towards the common goal – to keep our lovely towns litter-free - so please don’t hesitate to contact us. Of course, the biggest contribution would be if everyone disposed of their rubbish responsibly so there would be no need for our group… but then that’s another story!” Email: BroxUpLP@gmail.com

This article was written by Helen-Jane, after speaking with Jason Wilcox of WLLP. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect and lives in West Lothian with her family.