FREE Starter Kits at Los Verdes Surgery

To help with the distribution of the FREE Starter Kits, available for the People's 'Litter Pick-up' as part of the campaign, these will be available for collection during the Los Verdes surgery to be held between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm, on Wednesday 3rd September at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca, Orihuela Costa.

Los Verdes members lead by example

Members of the Orihuela Costa Working Group of Los Verdes de Orihuela this week lead by example as part of the ‘People’s Litter Pick-up‘.



On Calle Panticosa, close to the Consum supermarket, opposite the exit of Calle Acuario there is a small plot of land that people have decided to use as a rubbish bin. This is a major access road to the local urbanisations and the site of the rubbish was a poor reflection on the area.



Four members of Los Verdes this week spent 30 minutes tidying up the area. The result of the ‘Litter Pick-up’ was the collection of 10 bags of rubbish, a mattress, and a wooden sunbed. Having completed the task a telephone call was made to the Ayuntamiento to request that the bags and other items be collected by the Council. It was pleasing to see that within 24 hours all the rubbish had been removed.



This example shows that a joint effort of a ‘Litter Pick-up’ by members of the public and the collection of the rubbish by the Council can improve the look of Orihuela Costa.

Launch of Clean up the Costa part 2 - People's 'Litter Pick-up'

The increasing volume of Litter is ruining the cleanliness and look of more and more areas of Orihuela Costa. The continually expanding eyesores caused by Litter strewn along roadsides, across pavements, around parks and recreation areas, in green zones, in fact now almost everywhere, is totally unacceptable.

Where does the Litter we all see lying around our area come from? The only way that Litter gets to where it is, is by being thrown away by people, who are too lazy to be bothered to put it in a refuse bin, or to take it home if there's no bin close by. The type of person with the attitude that someone else can clean up my rubbish and dam the consequences to the area and those who live there.



The Litter doesn't come from the Council, and no matter how hard it may try and how much money it spends on the problem it is currently fighting a losing battle. It's a sad fact, but reality, that the problem of Litter is getting worse, and that Litter attracts more Litter! The Council cannot fight the battle alone!



It is the responsibility of everyone to help reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the amount of Litter lying around. Both the Town Hall and the Inhabitants of the area need to be involved. Ideally we need to stop Litter from being dropped in the first place, but until this happens we need to make sure that any that is dropped is picked up. We need to adopt a different solution from that of complaining to the Council and expecting them to solve the problem on their own. We, the people who notice the Litter and care about what it’s doing to Orihuela Costa, need to start to take action by helping to clear it up ourselves.



We all know spots that we pass regularly, either on foot or by car, that are an eyesore, covered in Litter, and with just a little effort for 10 to 15 minutes in picking up the Litter it would make a big difference.

Los Verdes suggest to the Residents of Orihuela Costa that if their calle, or community, or urbanisation, or green zone is in need of a clean up and they are you fed up with seeing Litter scattered around, spoiling their quality of life, now is the opportunity to do something about it! Spare a few minutes of your time to pick up some Litter in your area, and along with similar actions in other areas by other caring volunteers, we will begin to make a difference. This is an opportunity for those Residents who are concerned about the problem to join together for action! Whether you are an individual, a group of Residents, a school group, or a community that wants to help tackle the problem of Litter join the campaign now. With Residents of an area working together there is a powerful force at work. This is a problem that affects us all and needs the support of us all!



As campaign co-ordinators Los Verdes would like to create a register of individuals, or groups, or communities, of concerned residents who want to help to 'Clean up the Costa', irrespective of whichever political party they support. If an individual area has a Litter problem that is too big to be cleaned by a few local residents then we can contact volunteers on the register and ask for their help. Those people who are already picking up Litter in their area won't feel so much alone, they'll be part of a growing number of caring volunteers. Other Residents will become more aware of the campaign, and want to join in, as they see more and more people picking up Litter wearing their free campaign hats and badges.

This second part of the 'Clean up the Costa' campaign starts in the first week of September 2008 and Los Verdes ask and encourage people to carry out their initial 'Litter Pick-up' during September and October to give Orihuela Costa an 'Autumn Clean'.

There will always be a need for Litter to be cleaned up, until attitudes towards throwing Litter everywhere change, so the People's 'Litter Pick-up’ is part two of the ongoing campaign, that will possibly need to run for at least the next three years.

Register with the campaign today and help make Orihuela Costa a cleaner place to live in. In return for your involvement and offer to help the environment of Orihuela Costa, Los Verdes will give you a FREE 'Litter Pick-up' starter kit containing hats, badges, stickers, and bags.



We want you to be able to tell the whole of Orihuela Costa about your successful clean up! Send us your 'before and after' photographs and we will publish details of the work on the 'Clean up the Costa' campaign Blog so that other volunteers can see the result of your efforts.

Los Verdes will be asking the Council for it's help in that; they collect the bags of rubbish, marked with the campaign stickers; they provide, free of charge, rubbish skips for the larger 'Litter Pick-up' projects; they provide a free supply of plastic bags to the campaign, for the volunteer 'Litter Pickers'. Tell us where and when you will be carrying out an organised 'Litter Pick-up', and we will inform the Council so they can make sure the litter that's collected is dealt with properly.

To register your wish to help 'Clean up the Costa' with a People's 'Litter Pick-up', or to report the success of your 'Litter Pick-up', either send an email to cleanupthecosta@gmail.com or telephone 965319660 (English) or 965328190 (Multilingual)

HEALTH & SAFETY
It must be remembered that at all times when carrying out a 'Litter Pick-up' the health & safety aspects of the task must be considered, including the wearing of protective gloves. Potentially dangerous items should not be collected but left where they are and the exact location reported to the Council, either directly or through the campaign coordinators, for the Council to deal with in the appropriate manner. Items considered within this category would include; drug taking materials and equipment such as needles and syringes; possible toxic materials and liquids; excessively heavy objects.

Clean up the Litter - Peoples Litter Pick-up

The Orihuela Costa Working Group are currently finalising the arrangements for part two of the Clean up the Costa campaign, with an intended launch in early September 2008.

It is intended to hold a press conference, with accompanying press release, in Orihuela Costa within the next two to three weeks to issue details of part two of the campaign which will be based around more direct residents involvement.

Full details will be published here on the Blog first, but I can reveal there will be a free starter kit including a cap.

If you want to be one of the first to know the details send an email to the campaign email address shown on the Blog with the title 'Tell me More' and you will receive priority notification.