Organise a community litter pick

We are happy to support litter picks. We do this by providing equipment and taking away the bags of litter which you have collected.

We can provide:

• litter pickers / grabbers (maximum of 5 per person)
• plastic bags
• disposable gloves
• stickers to label your bags

You can now collect free litter picking equipment from the following libraries:

• Central Library (Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 1XZ)
• Chapeltown Library (Nether Ley Avenue, Sheffield, S35 1AE)
• Crystal Peaks Library (1-3 Peak Square, Crystal Peaks Complex, Waterthorpe, Sheffield, S20 7PH)
• Darnall Library (Britannia Road, Sheffield, S9 5JG)
• Ecclesall Library (120 Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield, S11 9PL)
• Firth Park Library (443 Firth Park Road, Sheffield, S5 6QQ)
• Frecheville Library and Learning Centre (Smalldale Road, Sheffield S12 4YD)
• Highfield Library (London Road, Sheffield, S2 4NF)
• Hillsborough Library (Middlewood Road, Sheffield S6 4HD)
• Manor Library (Ridgeway Road, Sheffield S12 2SS)
• Park Library (243 Duke Street, Sheffield S2 5QP)
• Parson Cross Library (The Learning Zone, 320 Wordsworth Avenue, S5 8NL)
• Stannington Library (Uppergate Road, Stannington Road, Stannington, Sheffield S6 6BX)
• Stocksbridge Library (Stocksbridge Library, Manchester Road, Sheffield S36 1DH)
• Walkley Carnegie Library (403 South Road, Sheffield S6 3TD)
• Woodseats Library (The Roddick Building 900 Chesterfield Road, Sheffield S8 0SH)

Picking up litter

Litter should be bagged and bags tied securely when full. Don't sort or separate litter; this will be done by our collection partners. Large items do not need to be bagged.

Litter can only be picked from:

• pavements
• verges
• adjoining highway land

If you wish to organise litter picks on housing land, please email HomesE&ES@sheffield.gov.uk. The central team will liaise with the appropriate neighbourhood team regarding your enquiry.

If you wish to organise litter picks in parks or woodlands, please call 0114 250 0500 or email parksandcountryside@sheffield.gov.uk.

If you wish to clear waste from allotments, please call 0114 250 0500 or email pwc.allotments@sheffield.gov.uk.

No collections should be made directly from households, privately owned land, roads or other potentially unsafe areas. 

Please do not attempt to pick up any hazardous waste. Hazardous waste may include:

• hypodermic needles
• drugs waste
• chemicals
• asbestos
• broken glass
• waste collected from rivers

This should be reported to us so that we can collect this safely.

We encourage volunteers to avoid handling large items of fly-tipped waste (anything larger than a single bag) as these are best removed by Streets Ahead. 

Arranging collection

Leave your bags for collection safely and tidily, grouped together as much as possible by a roadway accessible by a large vehicle.

Please avoid leaving bags under low-hanging branches or telephone wires, or where it may be difficult for a vehicle to pull over, such as near traffic lights or busy junctions.

Get involved with community litter picking

Sheffield Litter Pickers is a volunteer collective, made up of groups and individuals from all over Sheffield who are committed to keeping their communities clean. To join, or for more information, visit their Facebook group.

Litter and education

As part of the Streets Ahead programme, Amey delivers workshops in schools across Sheffield, which focus on promoting behavioural change and looking after the environment. The sessions include:

• litter assemblies
• walk to school litter picks with mascot Phil the Bin
• assistance with litter surveys
• workshops on the impact of litter on wildlife and the environment
• litter art competitions
• litter poetry