Author Archives: Neil Frost

A good day for a group meeting of OWL litterpickers – the crisp autumn morning developed into a beautiful sunny day. Dry paths made it ideal for litterpicking.

Five OWLs (OWL = OUT With Litter) met up to deal with the litter strewn across the cruising ground and dropped into the rubbish sacks in the various hotspots.

Looks like someone has been gnawing on the log. Was the action that painful?!

Maybe they weren’t using sufficient lube? Not sure this is the answer!

With admirable attention to detail our two teams dealt with the busiest areas and soon it was time for a much-welcome refreshment break.

Then it was off for some solo work in the places less-visited by OWL volunteers on their usual routes. It’s surprising how many places get used. We still don’t understand why, when there’s a rubbish sack nearby, some guys still chuck their sexual debris on the ground or in the bushes. Rather than ‘fuck and chuck’ why not ‘shag and bag’?

But thanks, of course, to the many guys who are considerate in taking their rubbish away or putting it into the rubbish sacks.

Then back to the car park to seal the bags and stack them along the road ready for collection. A good haul. 12 sacks of general rubbish and 8 of recycling. Another impressive morning’s work.

That means a total in the last month, including the rubbish collected by volunteers working at other times, of 22 sacks of general rubbish and 20 of recyclable rubbish. 42 sacks altogether.

Our next litterpick is our Christmas Special on Tuesday, 7^th December.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

Unfortunately a perfect storm of non-attendees for this litterpick! Work commitments; injury; annual leave. And some pretty grim weather over the past 24 hours.

Meaning it was just two OWL volunteers who took on the task of today’s litterpick. But there was a task to be done, and done it was.

You have to wonder if it was some horny action in this hot spot that necessitated the need for these…

With two experienced litterpickers the work ran smoothly

These rubbish sacks are usually overflowing with litter, but clearly cooler weather has arrived and the nude sunbathing area is no longer so well-used.

We find all sorts of drug paraphernalia on our litterpicks. We’re pretty sure there’s no ‘magic’ high in this natural one.

The traditional ‘refreshment break’ pic

Then on to complete the task of clearing up everywhere in the woods. Was this for use before or after the oral action?!

A pretty good morning’s work. Ten sacks of rubbish collected; five of general rubbish and five of recyclables.

Giving altogether this last month, adding the numbers of sacks collected by individual volunteers, twenty sacks of general rubbish and twenty-one sacks of recyclables. A grand total of forty-one sacks..

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

Several OWL volunteers have been undertaking the task of emptying our ‘permanent’ rubbish sacks, and the litter bin, on a weekly basis. Today’s session was one of our regular ‘monthly’ sessions where we undertake a more thorough clean-up of the entire cruising ground.

Several of our regulars couldn’t make it so it was good to welcome a new volunteer who soon got used to the job in hand.

First stop for our litterpicking, the nude sunbathing area. By doing that area first we potentially disturb fewer sunbathers. This was the case with only two there when we called by, but fifteen there later in the day.

Then two teams to range across different locations, picking up all litter on the way and emptying the various bags we’ve left in many of the ‘hot spots’. 

There was plenty to keep us busy and the results speak for themselves,

On a hot day an even greater need to stop for a break and some welcome refreshments.

Then back for more. It’s sometimes surprising what we find.

Clearly someone needed to use two hands

Then, having covered practically the entire cruising ground, the stapling of the bags and the display at the roadside.

Today’s haul – 14 sacks of recyclable and 14 sacks of general rubbish. If we add on the sacks collected by individual volunteers since our last work party that gives a total for this month of 66 sacks of rubbish.

We are grateful to those who dispose of their litter considerately – using the black sacks in the ‘hot spots’ and the bin. We’d be even more grateful if those who bring full cans and bottles of drink could take them away empty, not leave us to do so.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

Another month had passed since our July Litterpick. In the intervening weeks one or two volunteers had emptied the various sacks we’ve left around. That’s meant that in most cases the sacks have been saved from overflowing. And there has been even more regular emptying of the OWL litter bin.

Our regular monthly OWL litterpicks are when we aim to not only empty all of the rubbish sacks but also to clear up the rest of the rubbish that gets left around and thrown around. (If people can take full bottles and cans to the woods, why can’t they take their empties away with them?! Answers  on a postcard.)

First stop, the nude sunbathing area. What did we say about bags not overflowing? This one was getting close!

Down to work emptying the bag

Then some bag-replacement which will hopefully provide enough capacity that the three bags don’t start overflowing before we can get back to them.

It’s funny what we find in the woods while clearing up the hot spots. It’s usually condoms, condom foils, lube sachets and wipes. Occasional bottles of poppers, maybe a vinyl glove. We weren’t sure what activity had been going on here; obviously some education of some sort!

But flicking through the book some of us understood why we’d got a liking for cruising – our early years were possibly informed by it having something to do with being in the woods and playing with balls!

Onward, and the collection was certainly growing. Nevertheless, good to see the rubbish sacks being so well used.

OWL volunteers clear litter from everywhere they can find it. Along the tracks

and in the hot spots.

Back to base to dump our first loads (and there’s a lot of dumping of loads in these woods!) and time for a well-earned break.

Then back for another trawl through different areas to ensure that we’d collected all we could. And another interesting find. We’ve seen guys cruising on bikes and electric scooters. This chap must have started young!

Then the preparation of the bags ready for collection. The totals: Fifteen sacks of general rubbish. Seventeen sacks of recyclables, a child’s bike and a traffic cone. Add that to the thirty-five sacks collected since our last Tuesday litterpick. That’s an amazing SIXTY SEVEN sacks of rubbish in a month.

Big thanks to our OWL volunteers.

(Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)