Who to engage with
Tackling litter isn’t a solo sport. We’ve found that it’s best to work in collaboration with local stakeholders from the start of the campaign and take guidance from a variety of different voices. This helps to ensure a sense of local ownership, allows the project to develop in different ways and helps to ensure the campaign has longevity.
A short checklist of who you might want to engage and collaborate with:
Local shops and businesses – is there a BID (business improvement district) who you can engage with to share key campaign messages or offer to promote the campaign with printable assets? Could they support with events or start collecting waste in their store or office too?
Local ‘green’, ‘Friends of…’ or community groups – all key campaign amplifiers.
Schools, colleges and universities – many schools welcome external speakers as part of their curriculum.
Charities – are there any influential environmental charities who can help to deliver events or certain aspects of the campaign?
Your waste team – someone’s got to collect the waste!
Local councillors and other influential individuals – they will know your community well and understand who else to engage with.
It may also be worth considering whether having your own volunteers to support a campaign. Many people love litter picking or finding ways to support their local community.
For practical and step-by-step guidance to help you manage volunteers and the processes involved, check out the guidance provided by NCVO.
Just make sure they feel both valued and happy. This could be by saying thank you, giving them a chance to learn new skills, paying some expenses or just making sure they’re having fun.
