One, Day, One Planet, One Goal

As part of World Cleanup Day, Gordon Macdonald MSP participated in a litter pick organised by Friends of the Pentlands on Saturday 15 September.

The litter pick events are organised by local groups under the “Let’s Do It! World” movement where millions of volunteers in 150 countries participated in this year’s event, which was hailed as the biggest civic action in human history.

The Friends group are a voluntary organisation who organise walks and talks and enjoy the support of the Pentland Hills Regional Park. The special litter pick involved 33 volunteers from Friends of the Pentlands, Water of Leith Trust, Balerno Ramblers, North Tweeddale Path Group, Youth Vision, Edinburgh Southern Orienteering Club, and Pentland Hills Regional Park.

Last Saturday’s World Cleanup Day litter pick focussed on 10 popular areas of the Pentlands and saw 30 bags of litter collected with numerous larger items such as an abandoned tent and household goods. The organisers also informed Edinburgh City Council of four sites where bulky items and large amounts of rubbish had been fly-tipped.

Commenting SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said, “600,000 people use the Pentland Hill recreationally every year. It was great to be out with many volunteers who were willing to give up their free time to protect and enhance the Pentland Hills for everyone’s enjoyment.

“Local litter picks are great events, and show how much difference can be made when we work together. Litter-free community’s matters to us as a society and as individuals. It effects the way we feel about where we live, work and spend our leisure time - it has a huge impact on our health and wellbeing.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if folk took their litter home? By doing the right thing, we can start to make a difference and enjoy cleaner, safer communities, and a cleaner, safer Scotland.”

Commenting, Hamish Clark, Chair of Friends of the Pentlands, said, “The removal of this litter will make the Pentlands more attractive to users and safer for wildlife. This event shows the scale of littering and how important it is to work at changing behaviour over time as well as devoting resources in the meantime to removing it.”