Another first Tuesday of the month. Another OWL group litterpick. Seven willing volunteers keen to remove unsightly and, offensive to some, litter.
Health and Safety briefing over our vounteers set off.
As well as empty bottles and cans, tissues, condom and lube foils and so on we also find other things – like this industrial-size Nitrous Oxide container.
Whatever was that doing in the woods? (of course we know what it had been doing!)
Our volunteers covered all parts of the cruising ground. 
It wasn’t all about litterpicking. We want to keep access open (!) and our hard working volunteer was out and about with his trimmer.
For ten years, at our own expense, we’ve positioned a bin in the woods at a place where many guys gather or walk through. It’s been well-used. We’ve recently been emptying it 3 times per week.
Sadly, someone has complained about the bin and Epping Forest personnel have removed it! We think that’s short-sighted as, without a bin, people are still going to leave rubbish. Our current OWL policy is that we won’t pick up litter left where our bin would have been. We hope the person who complained is pleased with the effect.
With such efficient volunteers we’d soon got the area clear of all litter – for now – and it was time to get back to base and enjoy a chat and some welcome refreshments. One of our volunteers had been up all night doing some baking!
Then the task of tying the sacks and putting them ready for collection beside the road. Today we’d collected the equivalent of 18 of our small-sized bags.
Our Solo OWLS have been doing a brilliant job, working on their own between litterpicks. In the last month they’d collected the equivalent of 51 small sacks. Amazing! That gives a total this month of 69 sacks of litter.
Please note that we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. There might have been more OWL volunteers taking part than are in the above pictures.
No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session.