KIDS and adults from across Renfrewshire proved they were the pick of the litter at the weekend as they got their bibs on and bin-bags in hand to take part in an area-wide clean up challenge. 

The Spotless September Challenge, which saw more than 700 inspiring local people take to the streets to pick up litter, was taken on by several groups including community bodies, volunteers and local businesses. 

Youngsters from a host of local schools, including St James Primary in Renfrew, also got stuck in to improve the area.

The event saw more than 20 clean-ups taking place across three days in Renfrewshire, and a massive 280 bags of rubbish collected by Renfrewshire Council’s StreetScene team as part of the Team Up to Clean Up initiative.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “I’m continually astounded by the support and enthusiasm that the community put behind the Team Up to Clean Up campaign.”

To close the weekend, a special event was hosted at Paisley Town Hall on Sunday to pay tribute to the local people who have driven the campaign forward from the grassroots level.

Local groups were awarded certificates of appreciation as they gave short presentations on why they had taken part and what they have achieved so far.

Councillor McEwan said: “I was delighted to see such a great turnout for the ‘thank you’ event as we wanted to show our appreciation for all the fantastic work which local people are carrying out.

“It’s great to see people taking a real pride in their community and taking it upon themselves to make a difference – be it a two-minute clean-up on their way home or an afternoon spent cleaning up the local park.”

The Team Up to Clean Up campaign has been allocated £2.5million over five years to make a difference to the local environment in Renfrewshire.

As part of the investment an increased programme of road sweeping and gully cleaning is in place, as well as six community litter pickers across Renfrewshire and an enhanced Rapid Response Team who deal with roadside litter and local community issues.

For more information visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk