Head out for a litter hunt!

‘That man’s got the best job in the world’ … said Theron, a Young Climate Warrior from London. What do you think is the best job in the world? Well, Theron was talking about a man who was picking up litter … helping to save our planet by looking after our natural world. You may, or may not, think that litter picking is the best job in the world … but taking action to protect our planet is super important!

Your challenge this week is to go on a litter hunt … take an empty bin bag with you to the park or playground and see if you can find at least 5 sneaky items of litter that haven’t made it into the bin. Check with your parent/carer first, wear gloves if you have them, and make sure you wash your hands when you get home. When you’ve found those cheeky pieces of litter make sure you recycle them where you can.

How can we help combat climate change by recycling? Well, recycling rubbish saves it from going into a landfill site – being buried in the ground with other rubbish. Landfill sites are a key source of methane emissions and methane is a really powerful greenhouse gas – its impact on climate change is 34 times worse than carbon dioxide over 100 years.

What do you reckon happens to plastic when it stays littering the countryside? Litter that’s left lying around can Injure animals or they may try and eat it. Wildlife eating rubbish can lead to microplastics (tiny fragments of plastic) entering the food chain. Microplastics that end up in our rivers, then flow into our oceans, contaminating plankton and reducing the ability of the ocean to ‘store’ carbon.

Great Big Green Week is a nationwide celebration of community action on climate change. It’s taking place across the UK from the 24th of September to the 2nd of October. Find out what your local community is up to here - maybe you could join a community litter pick, or encourage your neighbours to join in your litter hunt!

HIT THE RED BUTTON when you have undertaken this challenge – and send us a photo of your bag of litter. You can see photos of other Young Climate Warriors out litter-picking on our YCW Gallery page!