#TrashTagRedemption

Many are aware of the growing litter problem in our area. A few weeks ago, my village collected a total of 20+ bags of rubbish from Barrow Street and Hern Lane alone, and since then I have been trying to keep on top of Barrow Street en route to and from my bus stop for work, morning and evening. Every day, I find more litter.

What's interesting is that I have not just been finding cans of Red Bull (of which there are many), work gloves (again, many) and toilet paper (lots) - I've also been finding litter which has identifying information on it, telling me exactly WHO it was that decided to launch their rubbish out of their car window in our glorious, historic village. Airport parking receipts with car registration numbers, local business delivery notes, local business Jewsons receipts... And it's infuriating. Proper.

️ So I'm putting on an exhibition. I've learnt a MASSIVE amount about litter in the process of clearing up after all these lazy drivers, and I want to share that information with locals and visitors alike. I want to name and shame those I can, and encourage them to do and be better. I want to raise money for a more permanent solution.

The exhibition will include framed identified litter, and I am in the process of communicating with the local businesses at fault as to how they can redeem themselves for their lack of care for our environment. I have been, thus far, successful! Those companies who contribute to a permanent solution for the litter problem in our villages will be exhibited with golden halos above their framed litter, and REPENTED painted over the top. They will also have the opportunity to display what they are doing to further ensure they never again are the culprits for litter in our area. If you're a local business in the area, check your inboxes! You may have a message from me :)

The funds raised will be used to purchase the supplies for a permanent litterpicking station in Barrow Gurney. The location for this is still being decided, but it will include returnable gloves, hi-vis vests and litterpickers, as well as a bag dispenser. I am working with local councils and councillors to establish a permanent location for the collection of this waste (my rubbish has increased in volume due to all my journeys home laden with other people's rubbish!) In the future, I aim to design and make some signs, before getting permission to place them along the road to remind drivers that our 1000+ year old village and source for much of the water supply in the area is not their convenient landfill. Any surplus funds will be donated to similar initiatives in the surrounding villages, eg. Dundry, Flax, Long Ashton, etc.

️ If you'd like to get involved, please message me on here, and to stay fully up to date, please join the Facebook group @TrashTagRedemption - I fully believe that we can change the mentality and behaviour of drivers, and also increase our sense of community, by addressing the problem of roadside litter in North Somerset, and the wider UK. But I need your support! Please like, follow, comment, share, join - allll of the social media verbs! And please pop along to the exhibition, too!

If you're a local school, a visit to the exhibition on Friday 13th June would be free for your staff and students - I am an enhanced DBS-holding qualified teacher with 13+ years experience planning and delivering education sessions on language, history, and nature, as well as 10+ years of leading exhibition talks/guided tours. I am absolutely willing to give a talk/create activities for various age ranges - just let me know! Children are our future, and if we train them now to be conscious of litter, then at least, when they are our age, they won't be as bad as our generations currently are!

DISCLAIMER: All personal information will be black-tape-redacted on the exhibition delays. This is a personal project and whilst I am grateful for the use of the Village Hall for the exhibition and value my place on its committee, I am separate to them aside from hall usage on this occasion. On May 7th I will officially become a Parish Councillor for Barrow Gurney, however this project and my ideas for it began long before I expressed an interest to join the council for this current vacancy. I will be setting up a Just Giving page for the fundraising at the beginning of next week. In no way is the exhibition aiming to discredit or devalue local business owners - I hope to encourage better practice and foster more community spirit between business and individual, and in no way whatsoever do I wish for any sort of hate to be directed towards those found to have been littering - I believe that positive reinforcement will always trump negative reinforcement, please don't come to the exhibition with the aim of making the lives of hardworking professionals more difficult.