Clean Up Britain

Wednesday 4 January

New Year New Start

As a rule, we spend more time planning our new year resolutions than actually pursuing them. This is understandable because, although we all want to make positive change to our lives and environment, life has a horrible habit of getting in the way.
But all is not lost. Read on to hear how, with some commitment, organisation, and realism behind your planning, you can and will stick to your resolutions.

This being Clean Up Britain, we hope you'll join us in setting some SMART litter-busting objectives for 2012. This will make you feel strong, positive and — hell, why not — genuinely righteous! You'll feel this way because your actions will make your neighbourhood a cleaner, more pleasant place to live. Your goodness radiates outwards!

So here's how to get started. Think through what your resolution could be... there's a lot to do on the litter-busting spectrum. Here at Clean Up Britain we ask people to pledge their support to 'change the attitudes and behaviour of people who drop litter'. This means different things to different people. For instance, on a recent episode of BBC's Inside Out Britain, the presenter challenged people he saw dropping litter. In every case those people were embarrassed by being called out on their behaviour. They picked up their litter immediately with no argument or trouble.

Others have pledged to take a different, but equally pro-active, stance. For instance, by taking responsibility to keep a local public area clear of litter. It could be their own street, the park nearby, or even a bus stop. Such monitoring and clean-up activity could be a personal endeavour, done ad-hoc when time allows; or it could be an organised group litter-pick. To make your litter-busting resolution stretch beyond New Years Day, it can help to make the objective SMART (see below for tips).

1. Specific. Clearly state what you aim to do. For instance "I pledge to pick up all the litter between my house and the corner shop." It can help to make your pledge public. This could simply mean telling your nearest and dearest, or maybe posting an update to Facebook or Twitter.
2. Measurable. Keep a tally of the junk you collect and dispose of. It'll help you realise the impact your work is doing. It will give you a lasting record of the real, physical results you achieve.
3. Achievable. Don't over-reach yourself. Many resolutions fall by the wayside because they aren't realistic. So consider what is manageable and stick to it. This may mean downgrading lofty ambitions, but that's fine if it means you are able to keep on track.
4. Relevant. We are talking about cleaning up Britain so whatever you do should contribute to that end. If your own immediate environment doesn't have a litter problem, look elsewhere. Where can you make an impact?
5. Timely. This is about regularity and scheduling. Litter has a contagious effect on public spaces and is best monitored and dealt with in a systematic way if at all possible. Much better to do 20 or 30 short, regular cleanups than say five long and deep cleanups.