A Sheffield litter picking group dedicated to making the city cleaner has attracted more than 4,000 members on social media.

The city-wide volunteers gather in groups regularly to collect waste that contributes to land pollution in Sheffield. 

Iren Wadsworth has been part of the litter picking group for several years.

The 55-year-old Home-Help from Gaunt Road in Gleadless Valley said: “I just thought the woods are so beautiful, somebody’s got to do something about it so I might as well, it saddens me seeing it.”

“As well as litter picking and making places look better, you make connections with people so that’s all positive.”

The Sheffield Litter Pickers Facebook group has more than 4,000 members and is encouraging more people to get involved.

The group documents their work on Facebook and X and regularly posts updates about their waste collection.

X post from @SheffLitterPick

Alongside picking up rubbish on streets, the group clears up woodlands that have been heavily impacted by waste.

Ms Wadsworth said that fly-tipping has been a major concern for the environment which the group has been trying to tackle for years.

Ms Wadsworth and other group members have pushed for more consideration to prevent waste being left in public. 

She said: “When we’re out people are very appreciative.” 

“There’s been a lot of fly tipping over the years that hasn’t been dealt with for decades.”

Sheffiel Litter Picker group waste collection – Photo credit: Iren Wadsworth

Sheffield City Council advocates for waste management and motivates the community to recycle; supporting and encouraging litter picks by providing equipment and collecting bags of waste.

Members of the community are encouraged to get involved and can collect free equipment from 12 libraries across the city including litter grabbers, disposable bags and gloves.

According to Sheffield City Council,  27.11% of household waste out of 49,91 tonnes was recycled between April and June. 

With Sheffield having the most trees and woodland spaces in Britain this comes with a high level of maintenance to keep the environment free from litter.

To get involved in volunteering visit the Sheffield Litter Pickers group at https://twitter.com/SheffLitterPick