Health & safety for litter picking
Litter picking is a safe, rewarding activity, and a little planning keeps it that way. This page is our definitive safety guide - worth a read before your first pick, and worth revisiting now and then. The golden rule is simple: only ever attempt what's within your own capabilities, and if something doesn't feel safe, leave it.
Before you set off
-
Check the forecast and don't pick in extreme weather. Strong winds make picking miserable and unsafe - bags blow away and litter scatters - so it's fine to postpone to a calmer day.
-
Pick in daylight only, and choose safe, accessible public spaces: parks, quiet streets, open ground and wide verges.
-
Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back, especially if you're picking alone. Take a charged mobile phone with you.
-
What3Words is a handy app for pinpointing your exact location if you ever need to describe where you are.
What to wear
-
Sturdy, closed-toe shoes with good soles - essential on rough or uneven ground.
-
Strong gloves and a hi-vis vest every time, so you're protected and easily seen.
-
Cover your arms and legs near undergrowth, and consider a peaked hat or eye protection when reaching into bushes - brambles and thorns catch you out.
-
Dress for the weather. It's an outdoor activity in every season.
Picking safely
-
Always use a litter-picker - never pick litter up with bare hands.
-
Don't overreach. If an item can't be safely removed by one person, leave it.
-
Mind the traffic. Keep off the carriageway, stick to wide verges or pavements, face oncoming traffic, and never pick on motorways, slip roads, fast roads or anywhere with narrow or no verges.
-
Keep away from water. Don't enter it, and avoid working near fast-flowing or deep water, or the edges of ponds, canals and rivers.
-
Avoid other hazards: steep or slippery banks, derelict buildings, livestock and electric fences, and any land where the public has no right to enter.
-
Protect wildlife. Between late February and early September, leave woodland undergrowth and long grass undisturbed where birds and small mammals may be nesting.
-
Don't touch your face or any open cuts while wearing your gloves, and wash your hands thoroughly once you've finished. It's a small habit that matters.
What not to pick
For your own safety, never pick up any of the following. Leave the item where it is, note the location, and report it:
-
Sharp objects — broken glass, metal, disposable BBQs
-
Needles, syringes or any clinical waste
-
Unidentified cans, canisters, drums, flares or chemical containers
-
Asbestos or suspected fly-tipping (it may hide hazardous materials)
-
Dead animals
-
Anything heavy or bulky that's unsafe to lift.
Sharp, chemical or hazardous items should be reported to the council, who have a team that collects dangerous items quickly. See our Bags & reporting and Reporting issues pages for how. Vapes are hazardous electrical waste: if you collect them, bag them separately, mark the bag clearly, and let the council know. For a serious pollution incident, report it to SEPA.