An Angus councillor has taken the fight against the county’s litter scourge to her own doorstep.
Arbroath East and Lunan Independent councillor Lois Speed has adopted her own street in the town’s Noran Avenue to play her part in ongoing community efforts to clean up Angus.
The scheme encourages residents to take extra care of their street or an area they particularly value by volunteering to pick up the litter left by others.
People have been able to sign up to the Adopt-a-Street scheme since December and Angus Council provides a litter picker and hoop to all volunteers.
Ms Speed said: “I decided to get hands on because – although the simple message would be ‘don’t drop it, bin it’ – the reality is that’s not the case and unfortunately people still think it’s okay to drop litter.
“However, I believe it’s just as much my problem and responsibility as it is anyone else’s. I’d rather play my part and put my energy into picking it up and doing something about it than relying on others to do it.
“I want to take pride in my local area and help look after it to make it as pleasant and enjoyable for others as possible.”
Communities across Angus are waging war on litter and Arbroath hosted the first community-led litter summit in Scotland in November.
“I feel it’s crucial that we all pull together and play our part,” she said.
“I’ve become increasingly aware of the amount of individuals and groups that are out there picking up litter and full credit and thanks must go to them.
“They are putting in a lot of time and effort which must seem like a thankless task when they keep having to go over the same old ground. It shouldn’t just be down to one person or group or the council.
“I know schools do a huge amount of work in raising awareness and it works for a time but then often wears off.
“I’d like to think that the scheme will help change attitudes and encourage an overall sense of pride and community spirit.
“We live in an absolute beautiful part of the county – Angus is stunning so my job, and the job of everyone else who lives here, is to try and keep it that way.”
Ms Speed said the ongoing community efforts are making her see the problem in a different light and she’ll now pick up litter if she sees it – and she’s urging others to share that attitude.
