A Cumbrian man is taking a stand against littering in his community and trying to raise awareness of the issue on social media.
Martin Stables, 67, from Urswick, has been posting pictures of the amount of litter he has collected on the roads of Ulverston on social media.
The retired builder said he cannot let his community be treated badly by litterers and is working to clean up the streets.
Martin has collected thousands of items over the years and wishes for more people to not only take notice of the issue, but to act.
He said: “I’m not that into Facebook. A few years ago, I wouldn’t even know how to switch on a computer, but it’s a means to an end now.
“What I’m doing is a community thing. It’s about trying to light up an issue that is becoming so normal most people don’t even notice.
“There’s litter everywhere and for some reason we just don’t do anything about it.
“I’ve been reaching out to everyone – MPs, local groups – but actual action seems to be rare and maybe just a one-off sometimes. It needs more to solve this.
“None of this is about me; anyone could have done this, but no one did. So, I did it. I’ve been collecting bags of litter for years now and Facebook is a good way to show people what’s at their feet.
“If people realised how much of a mess there is, they’d be up in arms. Hopefully, I can demonstrate it to them.
“I understand there are other issues in the world like Covid and the lockdown, but this problem has been there for years and it’s never been tackled.”
Martin began collecting after returning from Australia, where he visited his daughter Samantha. There he saw groups of young litter-pickers only needing to collect cigarette butts, but upon returning to the UK he realised how much the community’s streets had.
Martin added: “I’ve organised some groups in the past, but they don’t always last as people have got other things to do. If this were to be solved it would need backing from MPs, and investment. I’ve written to everyone I can think of, but nothing seems to happen.”
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