Clean Up Day - Postgame Wrapup

Well, folks, today was Clean Up Day and as usual we had a decent turnout (though not as many as before) and we found a diverse selection of rubbish. Oddly, there was more recyclable stuff (glass, cans and plastic) than there was ordinary trash - in the past it's been about half and half.

Normally when we've set up at the sports pavilion we have been on our own on the Rec, save for the occasional dog-walker. Today was different, however, as there was a kids' football game in progress, with lots of adults watching. Undeterred, we set up our table and all our gear to await the arrival of our volunteers. We were also awaiting Joanna, our local Community Warden who had the keys to the pavilion, which we needed to enter in order to make teas and coffees. Once inside we got the urn going and made a brew - it was a bit breezy out. It appears that autumn has made an early entrance.

This is what awaited the happy wanderers upon their return - tea, coffee, fruit, and cakes

I personally don't have anything against people who participate in sports or watch sports, but the people watching the soccer were irritating. Lots of little kids were oblivious to us, it seemed, and climbed on the pavilion's pillars and entered the pavilion, wandering aimlessly, despite us telling them that they weren't actually allowed in.

Jean and Brian get kitted out - with footie watchers in the background

Jan tests out her litter picker while Brian, Alan and Jean have a conflab

After we had had a good few people arrive and get kitted out with hi-vis tabards, sacks, gloves and pickers it was obvious to the footie folk what we were doing, but that did not stop them from leaving a pile of trash around the other side of the building when they had stuffed the existing litter bin to the gills. Then, a dad and his son went into the pavilion, again in spite of our protests, in order for the son to change into his normal clothes. People are just rude.

Jan sets off

Fiona brings us some broken glass. The T3-wagon in the background.

The Two Chrises hove into view

An action shot of Justin

Time to start sorting - one bag for glass, one for plastic and another for cans

Fiona picks litter while a passer-by looks on

Jean and Brian return with their haul

Jean, Jean and Jo take a load off

Clive and David return with their treasure

Jan comes back

We found some interesting stuff, as I said.

A manky old rug and a stinky blanket

Just a few of the hubcaps we found

Another old Coke can - not as old as the 34-year old one we found last time, but still with the old-style ringpull - definitely early 90s or earlier

An old Liqufruta cough syrup bottle

Two broken mobile phones

Bits of old pipe - construction waste

A can of Webster's Yorksire Bitter in its late '80s livery

Who remembers Top Deck?

'Avoid Litter' - ironic, no?

Some sort of homemade wheeled contraption

A can of Skol 1080, similar to Tennent's Super and Carlsberg Special Brew, from.. wait for it...

...that's right, 1987!

And a can of Barbican from 1988.

If you click the pic you'll see the large version where you can read the Best Before date '13DEC88S'.

So in total we picked easily 30 bags of assorted tat, most of which we recycled. We had a good morning's litter picking and a nice bit of cake, too. Spring will probably see us out there again doing it once more. Watch this space, folks. And check Thursday's Tenterden Edition of the Kentish Express for our picture!