More than 1.5 tonnes of rubbish collected in A120 Great British Spring Clean litter pick

Braintree District Council supported Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean campaign by doing a deep clean along the eight-mile stretch of the A120 within the district, running from the Felsted slip roads to Marks Farm roundabout, via Galley’s Corner.

The deep clean, carried out over three weekends, involved overnight working with nine members of council staff litter-picking the verges and central reservation and traffic management. Over one and a half tonnes of general rubbish were collected including 93 bags of litter containing fast food packaging, cups, tins, bottles, glass, plastic bags, cans and cigarette packets. Other items included vehicle debris, shredded tyres, road-killed wildlife, wooden fence posts, plastic guttering, builders’ buckets, old carpets and a water tank. In addition, mechanical sweeping of both sides of the carriageway was undertaken during which over 35.7 tonnes of road sweepings were removed.

We would like to thank everyone who takes pride in their local areas and offer their continued help throughout the year. 

As the popularity of dash-cams in vehicles increases, we are asking members of the public for their help - see our See It, Report It story in this newsletter for more information. 

Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy Update

If you have been waiting to have your say on the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), keep an eye on your newsletters, as it will reach the public consultation stage this summer.

The strategy aims to deliver significant environmental enhancement across the county. One in six species in Great Britain are designated ‘at risk’; this initiative addresses the critical state of biodiversity across the nation and sets out a strategy to help nature recover.

Leading the development of the LNRS in Essex, Essex County Council and the Essex Nature Partnership are continuing to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, landowners, environmental organisations, community groups and, soon, members of the public.

You can find out all about how this information will be used and see informative videos, articles and FAQs at the Essex Nature Partnership website. You can also sign up here to receive the Essex Nature Partnership newsletter to stay up to date with the progress on the LNRS.

HUG2 – grants available to cut energy bills

A grant fund is available to help people who are off the gas network bring their energy bills down and reduce their carbon emissions.

You may be eligible for free Government-funded grants through the Home Upgrade Grant scheme if:

• your home is not heated by mains gas
• your home is hard to heat
• you have a household income of less than £31,000, are receiving income-related benefits or live in an area of Index of Multiple Deprivation

See It, Report It: Bigger fines for littering

Litter makes most of us fume. We know many of you are passionate about it - volunteer groups, Green Heart Champions, individual members of our community and our own staff work hard to keep our district clean and tidy by picking up other’s people’s litter.

One of the most effective ways to deter people from throwing litter in the first place, especially from vehicles, is to ask for your help by being our eyes and ears, where possible.

Earlier this year, we took the decision to increase the levels of fines for Fixed Penalty Notices relating to littering, fly-tipping, graffiti and breaches of the Household Waste Duty of Care. These have risen from £100 to £200. Whether it is a cigarette butt, food and drink packaging or discarded uneaten food - if you see it, report it. Where litter comes from a vehicle, making a note of a numberplate will make it very easy for us to track the culprit down.

If you see or suspect any kind of environmental crime, please report it and we will follow it up.

Photo credit: John Parish

Carbon Cutting Essex app can help you save water

If you still haven’t downloaded the Carbon Cutting Essex app, now is the perfect time, as April’s theme is saving water. As more and more of us have water meters installed, conserving this precious resource becomes a money-saver, as well as an environmentally friendly move.

Download the free Carbon Cutting Essex app for ideas on how we can save water in our homes. Did you know that cleaning is one of the biggest uses of water in our homes? Top tips to reduce water usage when cleaning:

• Clean with a spray bottle of solution, not a bucket full of soapy water
• Use the eco setting to save water on the dish washer
• If your clothes are not stained or visibly dirty, use a shorter ‘everyday cycle’.

Download the free app for more useful information on how to live more sustainably.

Braintree turns 50: Meet our 50th Green Heart Champion

As part of Braintree Council’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we went to meet Geoff and his partner Linda, for a chat about litter picking and Braintree of years gone by.