Litter Clean Up

10:00 am on Saturday 5th September 2026 saw a gathering of volunteers in Birch Drive. Today the plan was to have a general tidy up and remove any litter or other rubbish within the woodland. The group of 9 volunteers consisted of members of the Maryburgh of both the Community Woodland Group, and the Maryburgh Mens Shed. After everyone taking part was supplied with bin bags and Litter Pickers the volunteers set off as groups or as individuals to collect any rubbish left in the woodland.

Litter, Litter Every Where

Bags of litter collected during clean-up – Photo: Siobhan Fraser

Possibly, some of the rubbish may have been wind blown but most of it unfortunately, consisted of empty drinks bottles and food wrappers discarded by people using the woodland. Looking back on past clean-ups carried out by the woodland volunteer group, there was a noticeable increase in the amount of litter we picked up this time. Leaving the woodland unsightly is inconsiderate for other people in the village who wish to benefit from this valuable resource. Aluminium drinks cans can also cause accidents to young children and pets, especially when the metal container is crushed and left lying for children to fall onto. Uneaten food and sweet liquid in containers can also attract undesirable wild animals such as foxes and rats.

Dead Hedge

It was also decided that some of the volunteers would tidy up the saplings that had been left from previous clean up events. Work was carried out to add to

Constructed Dead Hedge – photo: Siobhan Fraser

the dead hedge we had created earlier in the year. Using some of the thicker tree saplings upright posts were constructed and then the longer, thinner saplings were woven between the upright posts to form a hedge. The hedge will help form a barrier to avoid individuals taking a shortcut through the area cleared recently and end up trampling some of the small saplings that are there. Also, dead hedges provide valuable habitat for insects, birds and small mammals. Eventually, the dead hedge will rot away but all the nutrients will leach back into the ground and provide nutrients for the next generation of vegetation and trees.

Refreshments

At the end of a busy morning the group gathered on the grassy area at Birch Drive. As the weather was dry but windy a gazebo belonging to the group provided shelter for everyone to catch up over teas and coffee. Refreshments in the form of rolls with a bacon and sausages were also very much appreciated.

More Help Needed

More help is always needed to maintain and improve the woodland for everyone’s benefit in the community. If you cannot spare a couple of hours to join us for some fun in the woodland, why not help out in other ways. You can now make a donation using our PayPal online system. All donations will go to help with the future development of our community woodland.