FOREST Street Wardens are leading by example to teach youngsters the importance of recycling having purchased new eco-friendly litter pickers.

The litter pickers, which are made from recycled NHS facemarks and ocean plastic, will be used by school children when carrying out litter picks of their local areas aided by the Street Wardens team.

The council says the new equipment, funded through the Community Builders’ Fund, is “just one small way“ the council hopes to “encourage a future that puts the environment firmly at the centre and support more items being brought back into use.”

Cabinet member for communities and climate emergency Cllr Paul Hiett said: “Our environment is in crisis and as a society we need to step up our efforts to protect our planet and find ways that support a cleaner, greener future where people and wildlife can co-exist safely. 

"It’s believed that each year 8 million tonnes of plastic waste will enter our oceans. These plastics can entangle marine animals or be mistaken for food, both with devastating consequences.

“Over time plastics will also start to break down into much smaller micro plastics, invading fragile ecosystems, and even entering our own food chain.

“While pollution is a massive problem, we hope by supporting a process that enables more items to be rescued, recycled and ultimately reused, we’re making a positive contribution towards protecting nature and making a truly circular economy a reality.”

The investment comes after the council was criticised recently for its continued investment in fossil fuels, despite actions to tackle climate change since declaring a Climate Emergency in 2018.

Damion Collins, Community Safety Lead at the council, said: “At the height of the pandemic, around 58 million single-use face masks were being used every day in the UK, making them one of the most common forms of plastic pollution on land.

"Over time litter can migrate to the oceans and estimates put a figure of 1.5 million face masks now present in our seas. 

“Investing in the litter pickers not only makes sense in terms of bringing more throwaway items back into use but the fact they’ve been made from face masks and ocean plastic is a fantastic way to start a conversation with the young people we talk to about litter, spark their curiosity, and show them the possibilities of what can be achieved if they recycle.”

Schools and groups interested in booking a community litter pick with the Street Wardens team should email [email protected].