Local councillor urges people to stop leaving rubbish on streets

A campaigning community councillor is urging residents not to be “tossers.

Alicia Marland is an active litter picker in her community and says she has seen a significant increase in the amount of litter in recent years.  She joined her village litter picking gang after witnessing drivers throwing take away boxes, drink cans and cigarettes from their vehicles and being infuriated by their inconsiderate behaviour.  

Councillor Marland Oldham Borough Councillor Saddleworth West and Lees and Saddleworth Parish Councillor: Springhead Lower said: “Why do people think others will clean up after them?  Whether it is leaving a coffee cup on a bench, a cigarette butt on the ground or a take away box – if you do this then you are a tosser. 

“You are the worse type of tosser if you don’t clean up after your dog or leave the poo bag handing in a tree.  It is easy to take your litter home with you – we all have bins at home so don’t leave it where it doesn’t belong.  

She added: “The problem starts in the community and while Council waste collection teams are doing their best, it would be impossible to clean every street in our borough each week.  The money and resources spent on cleaning our streets could be used for other services. 

“People want to be proud of your neighbourhood so please be considerate to your community and the wildlife.  There are many local litter picking groups in Oldham which is a huge benefit but they wouldn’t be needed if people didn’t drop litter in the first place”. 

And she urges:”please get in touch with your local community group for more details.  Or why not start your own litter gang with a group of friends and Neighbours ?”

The Keep Britain Tidy campaign is running the annual Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean from March 13 to 29, 2026.