In just over a month’s time, the Autumn Trail Clean Weekender kicks off with the team at Trash Free Trails hosting events around the country.
Whether it’s a Trash Free Trails Autumn Trail Clean Weekender event or one of your own using their DIO toolkit, Trash Free Trails are calling on riders, runners and roamers to get out on the weekend of the 25th and 26th October. Collect, survey and report your findings.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Trash Free Trails say ‘The Time Is Now’ as they launch ‘Autumn Trail Clean Weekender’.
Not for profit Trash Free Trails call on trail users across the country to take action on increasing levels of litter in local green spaces through their ‘Autumn Trail Clean Weekender’, running October 25th-26th.
For the veteran litter picker, many will know that with the changing leaves comes an apparent increase in the amount of trash to be spotted along paths, in parks and on trailsides. Though some of this perceived increase can be put down to litter ‘revealing itself’ as greenery dies back, litter picking organisations don’t shy away from the uncomfortable truth; our collective anxiety around litter is high, with 77% of people believing the problem has grown worse in recent years. (Keep Britain Tidy, 2025)
Though recreational trails might be believed to be less affected than parks and playgrounds, Trash Free Trails say otherwise. ‘Surveys performed by our volunteers show that on a trail, you can’t go more than 4 metres without encountering a piece of rubbish,’ says Communications Manager Rach Coleman, ‘We need to tackle the problem just as passionately in the places we ride, run and roam, as well as on our streets, parks and roadsides.’
Trash Free Trails are doing just that this October, with their newly launched ‘Autumn Trail Clean Weekender. With 10 Cleans hosted by ambassadors up and down the country, and a unique Toolkit to help individuals and groups put on their own, they’re working towards a moment of mass participation, celebrating what community action can look like.
‘There’s a lot of news to say we are really divided right now – what’s unique about the single-use pollution issue is that it affects everyone, and everyone has an opinion about it, even if it’s apathy.’ continues Coleman. ‘By encouraging folks to get out for an Autumn Trail Clean, we’re going to clean up places we care about, but we’re also going to bring people together. Forging a community and giving back – that’s what Trash Free Trails is about.’
