Litter Picking

31st May 2025

The Rochester & Welling Ways - Woodland and Meadow edges

The weather was ideal for our monthly litter-pick along the woodland and meadow edges. A total of 12 volunteers took part, collectively contributing 24 hours, to clear over 20 sacks of general rubbish, several sacks of builders' waste, and a basketball net complete with backboard, from a space that, frankly, should not require this kind of intervention.

The basketball net retrieved from our restored pond is just one item of many tossed mindlessly into our existing and new ponds throughout the woodslands!

As usual, the most commonly found items included chocolate wrappers, drink cans, and other fast-food packaging. Particularly frustrating are the full carrier bags of waste, often discarded at the kerbside by those parked nearby – presumably unwilling to take them home to dispose of responsibly. These bags are almost inevitably ripped open by animals – most likely foxes – leaving the contents strewn across the area.

While this creates an obvious eyesore, more significantly, it poses a serious risk to local wildlife. Ingested plastics and toxic residues can harm animals, and the waste also has a detrimental effect on woodland vegetation by polluting the soil and water with harmful substances.

To make matters worse, this type of mixed, contaminated waste cannot be recycled and therefore ends up in landfill – at increased financial and environmental cost. Ultimately, these costs are borne by local councils and, by extension, Greenwich residents through their council tax.

We continue this work not simply to keep the area looking its best, but because of the broader importance of protecting our environment, supporting biodiversity, and encouraging more responsible behaviour in our shared spaces.

Some of our volunteers at the end of a session - thanks all!

On a brighter note, during our activities along the woodland edges, we spotted numerous tadpoles and broad-bodied chasers in Oxleas Pond, plus some beautiful dog roses amongst the brambles.

An isolated flower peeping through the leaves.