Environment

Refuse and recycling

Each household has two wheelie bins, one brown for garden waste and the other, black, for refuse. These are collected on Mondays on alternate weeks. Each household also has blue bags for recycled cardboard, plastic, glass and metal.

Additional glass and newspaper recycling is available at the rear of the Harewood Arms pub. Harrogate Borough Council has a recycling centre opposite Sainsbury’s on the Wetherby Road.

Litter picking

The Parish Council organises a litter pick twice a year, one in spring, one in autumn. Villagers volunteer to take part. Details appear on the village Facebook group.

GUIDANCE FOR VOLUNTEER LITTER PICKERS

Introduction

Volunteer Litter Pickers can be exposed to a number of easily avoidable hazards.  This guidance has been produced to help volunteers identify these hazards, making their involvement safe and enjoyable, and should be followed by all volunteers.

 

Protective Clothing and Equipment

·         The following equipment should be used at all times by volunteers undertaking litter picks:

·         Reflective hi-visibility waistcoat to clearly highlight volunteers to traffic and pedestrians

·         Litter pickers to be used to avoid direct contact with litter and repetitive bending

·         Gloves to minimise contact with and noxious or dangerous materials

·         Suitable footwear and clothing

Reflective hi-visibility waistcoats and litter pickers can be provided by the Council, however please bring some suitable gloves.

 

Noxious and Dangerous Materials

The following materials may be encountered during litter picks and should be treated with caution:

Broken glass – remove using litter picker or a brush and shovel, avoiding contact by hand, and dispose of in a sturdy container.

Drug related litter/hypodermics – these should not be removed under any circumstance.  Note the location and report to Harrogate Borough Council or the Parish Clerk for specialist removal.

Suspect material and fly tipping – items that are possibly dangerous such as unknown liquids in containers, building materials, asbestos, or fly tipping should not be removed by volunteers.  Note the location and report to Harrogate Borough Council or the Parish Clerk for specialst removal.

If there is any doubt about an item, leave it, and let Harrogate Borough Council or the Parish Clerk know.

General Site safety and inspection

Litter picking of areas beside roads should be carried out with extreme caution, due to the risk of being struck by vehicles.  Litter picking should be restricted to only where there are verges or pavements, suitable for pedestrians, and should be carried out facing oncoming traffic.  It is essential that volunteers are visible to road users, for that reason, hi-visibility waistcoats must be worn and litter picks should only take place in clear daylight.  Volunteers should not attempt to clear litter from the carriageway.

Avoid raching into hedges or undergrowth in such a way as to expose the face, eyes and skin to scratches from thorns or branches.  If an item of litter cannot be safely reached with a litter picker, leave it.

Be mindful of wildlife.  In the spring time avoid disturbing animals and birds that may be nesting and in the summer time be wary of wasp and bee nests.

Do not enter an area, or attempt to litter pick in an area, where works are restricted, are already taking place (for example road works) or where the public do not have a right to enter.

Volunteers have a duty towards themselves, fellow volunteers and the public to work safely.  If there is any doubt about the safety of a site or material, then it should be avoided.

 

Lifting and Handling Materials

Volunteers should be aware of the risk of injury by carrying bags of collected litter and attempting to lift and carry heavy materials.  To avoid injury, the following basic principles of manual handling should be applied:

·         Use litter pickers to prevent constant bending and stretching

·         Make sure an item is safe to handle with no sharp edges or noxious contents

·         Decide if an item can be safely moved either by one or two people

·         Only try to move an item if this can be done so without straining

·         When lifting an item, bend the legs and keep the back straight 

Young Volunteers

While it is beneficial to get young people involved in litter picks, age plays a big part in the ability to recognise and avoid risk.  Accordingly, volunteers under the age of 18 should be supervised by parent or guardian. 

Collection and Disposal of Litter

Black bin bags will be provided.  Once full or heavy please leave in a visible place on a grass verge.  These will be collected after the litter pick and stored ready for Harrogate Borough Council to collect on the next working day.

Disclaimer

Volunteers should not participate in litter picks unless they understand and accept that participation is entirely at their own risk.  Volunteers are not working for, or on behalf of Follifoot with Plompton Parish Council, therefore the Parish Council will not be held responsible for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of the actions and omissions of volunteers or this guidance.

Guidance produced by Parish Clerk April 2014