26/03/2026
This has NEVER happened....but I'm glad it did.
Today reminded me exactly why education matters more than a simple litterpick.
Every Thursday afternoon, I spend a couple of hours working with NELC, visiting schools to talk about litter, the environment, and the work I do as the Canoe River Cleaner. Yes, we do litter picks and the children always enjoy getting stuck in, but it’s the conversations that really make the difference.
I'm trying to go beyond just picking up rubbish for half an hour. I bring quizzes, we talk about rivers, wildlife, and what myself and the Freshney Comrades do upstream that ends up impacting our rivers and seas.
I connect it to things they’re already learning like ocean plastics and marine animals, and help them see that protecting the environment starts in their own community.
But today, something different happened.
I simply asked "does anybody here litter?" One child put their hand up and said, “Yes… I litter.”
I respect that level of honesty, but it was unexpected given what I do for a job and what i was there to talk about.
They didn’t dress it up. They simply didn't see that discarding litter was a problem.
In that moment, instead of judgement, there was an opportunity, and that’s why these sessions matter.
By the end of the talk after discussing wildlife, rivers, and the journey litter takes, something shifted. When we went out for the litter pick, that same child became one of the most enthusiastic participants. You could see a change and even a spark.
And that’s the impact.
Not just collecting rubbish, but changing mindsets.
That one honest answer reinforced that education is where real change begins.
I'm sorry if this all sounds a trite melodramatic, but today wasn’t just a litter pick. It was a reminder of why we do what we do.
North East Lincolnshire Council
Keep Britain Tidy
