Organising a group pick

Group picks are the heart of what we do - and they run best with a bit of planning behind them. This guide is for anyone stepping up to lead one, whether you're on the admin team or an experienced picker taking the reins for the first time. Thank you for organising; here's how to make it smooth, safe and sociable.

Photo of a group pick in West Lothian - used with kind permission from Karon Langan.

Before the day

Choose your site

Pick somewhere that genuinely needs it but is safe to work: parks, open green spaces, quiet streets and wide verges are ideal. Steer clear of fast or narrow roads, slip roads, water edges, steep banks and anywhere the public has no right to be.

Check who owns the land. The council can only uplift bags from public land - it can't collect from private, development or third-party sites. If your chosen spot is private, contact the landowner first and agree a collection arrangement before you go any further.

It's well worth walking the route beforehand to spot hazards, work out where volunteers will park, and settle on a clear meeting point. Between late February and early September, avoid sites where you'd be disturbing nesting birds and small mammals in undergrowth or long grass.

Sort the logistics

Date, time and daylight. Pick a daytime slot and keep an eye on the forecast - be ready to postpone if extreme or very windy weather is coming, and tell everyone in good time.
Kit. Make sure you've enough pickers, hoops, hi-vis and gloves for the numbers you expect, plus a few spares. WLLP holds a stock, and the council's Education & Engagement team can supply loan kit specifically for group picks and schools. Use the official yellow WLC bags.
Collection plan. Decide in advance where full bags will be gathered. Keep collection points to a minimum, group bags together, and choose spots where a council vehicle can safely stop and load - never on fast roads, blind corners or slip roads.

Advertise it

Create a Facebook event in the WLLP group - see [How to set up an event] for the step-by-step. In the description, include the meeting point with a postcode or map pin, the start and finish times, roughly how long the pick will last, what to bring, parking, whether kit and PPE will be provided, and a named contact for questions. Post a reminder 24–48 hours beforehand and answer any questions as they come in.

On the day

Arrive early, set up at the meeting point and give people a warm welcome - for some it may be their first pick.

Before anyone starts, run a quick briefing covering:

The area you're covering and where to leave full bags
What not to pick - sharps, glass, needles, chemicals, anything hazardous - and to flag these to you rather than touch them
Traffic and site hazards, keeping off the carriageway and staying visible
Pairing up newcomers with experienced pickers, and keeping phones to hand

Hand out kit and yellow bags, remind everyone to work within their own capabilities and not to overreach, and make sure under-18s and at-risk adults are with a responsible adult. Keep a loose eye on how people are getting on through the session.

Every pick should be run in line with our Health & safety page, which is the definitive guide for volunteers and organisers alike. Litter picking is done at each volunteer's own risk, and it's the organiser's job to consider the specific risks of the site on the day. For anything to do with insurance cover, please check with the admin team.

After the pick

Gather the bags at your agreed safe collection points and give them a count.
Report them to the council via communitycleanup@westlothian.gov.uk - see our Bags & reporting page for exactly how the webform works and what to include.
Celebrate. Thank everyone, post photos and the final bag tally to the Facebook group, and add it to our running total. Sharing the results is a big part of what keeps people coming back.
Note anything for next time - a spot that needs a return visit, kit that ran short, a hazard to watch.