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Derbyshire headquartered metal recycling and waste management specialist Ward has partnered up with community group, Chesterfield Litter Pickers, to support them in their efforts to clean up Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

The waste management partnership will see Ward taking in all the rubbish bags collected by the litter picking team free of charge, as well as providing access to its online customer portal. This means they can accurately measure tonnage, the types of waste collected and track where the recycling is going.

In addition, Ward is sponsoring £1,500 towards personal protective equipment (PPE) including high vis jackets with logos and a QR code for people to find out more info about getting involved. As part of its wider social value programme, Ward employees also have two volunteering days per year which they use to support charity and community activities. Local staff are being encouraged to use these to support Chesterfield Litter Pickers.

An independent volunteer organisation, Chesterfield Litter Pickers was established in 2024 by Lee Brassington, Gabbie Pattison and Vicki Holmes. It has a 600 strong active Facebook page and additionally it regularly shares the hard work of its volunteers to other community pages. The group has a core of about 30-40 volunteers who collect litter from streets, green spaces and lay-bys across Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.

Volunteers can join the organised group picks on a Sunday morning where equipment is provided. The group also has some very active volunteers who pick solo or in small groups during the week.

Chair of the litter picking group, Lee Brassington said: “Last year, with support from our amazing volunteers and other local businesses, we collected an incredible 7,000 bags of rubbish, weighing 29 tonnes. We hope with Ward coming on board as an official sponsor we’re able to smash that target in 2025. We’ll be taking as much of our litter as we can collect to Ward to be recycled at their Ilkeston recycling plant and look forward to this being the start of a long-term partnership, making a real difference in the areas we all live.”

Dan Egner, Chesterfield Site Operations Manager at Ward said: “As a business we are keen to work with local volunteer projects and community groups that have a positive social impact on the local area. We want to make sure that our contribution gives something back to the community. That’s why when the team from Chesterfield Litter Pickers approached us it seemed like a perfect fit.”

The group recently took a tour of Ward’s state of the art material recycling facility in Ilkeston to see how the rubbish they collect is sorted, separated and recycled in various different ways.