1. The BIG Spring Clean Northern Ireland’s largest anti-litter campaign

2. LITTER is everywhere The most common types of litter are: 1.Cigarettes 2.Confectionary – chocolate,crisps, etc. 3.Drinks litter – empty cans and bottles Almost half of people we asked admitted littering in the last 6 months – despite it being a crime

3. 96% of streets and parks surveyed had litter present.

4. LITTER costs a lot It costs councils almost £40million to collect all the litter on Northern Ireland’s streets

5. LITTER can cost you 3499 fines issued for littering and dog fouling in 2011/2012 A private individual can take a school to court for having too much litter on its grounds. A school can be fined up to £2,500 plus a daily fine until the litter is cleared

6. LITTER harms wildlife For more information about the effect of litter on wildlife, have a look at www.rspca.org.uk.

7. LITTER is easy to stop Don’t make any in the first place! There are bins everywhere, and holding on to an empty bottle until you find one is not much of a chore! If we all took just a little more care, we wouldn’t have to worry about litter

8. The BIG Spring Clean Runs all through February, March and April 2014 Groups all over Northern Ireland carry out clean-ups and other events Last year over 53,000 people got involved; and this years aim is 100,000. BIG Spring Clean 2013 volunteers removed the same weight in rubbish as 26 adult African elephants.

9. Your school can be part of it and make a difference. You will receive a free clean up kit. Free resources. Remember to return your results for entry to a free prize draw. We need YOUR help.

10. Some BIG Spring Clean ideas Take part in a clean-up, pick up litter in and around school. Paint and repair raised beds and fencing. General Tidy Up Removing flyers and post event publicity in school Weed young spring weeds and mulch bare spots in beds Clear leaves and debris from drainage areas that gathered over Winter and remember to compost any material collected. Cut back Winter shrubs Plant out daffodils, lilies, crocus, hyacinth and any other bulbs

11. Littering and Eco-Schools Litter is one of the 10 Eco-Schools Topics Schools must be clean and litter free in order to achieve a Green Flag Award. Pupils must be able to show they have really reduced littering within and around the school.

12. Thank you Send us your results to be entered – random draw - £100 prize to primary school category and £100 prize for post-primary school category. bigspringclean@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org 028 9073 6920 www.bigspringcleanni.org