I want to clean up
A crisp packet won't walk itself to a bin. If you can reach it safely and have suitable equipment, you can help.
You can pick up individual items of ordinary litter if it is safe to do so. Don't clear illegal dumps: report them.
In this chapter
What can you pick up?
Start with a small area, such as a familiar stretch of path or a picnic spot where people have left litter. Choose only clearly visible, empty items with no sharp edges.
- Packaging: individual pieces of paper or plastic packaging, where you have no doubts about their contents or condition.
- Plastic drinks bottles: empty and undamaged, with no unknown liquid inside.
Don't open or sniff anything to check what you've found. If you can't tell what it is, leave it untouched and go to “I've found an illegal dump”.
Before you start
Plan not just how to fill your bag, but how to take it to an authorised collection point. If you don't know where the waste will go, sort that out first.
- Equipment: bring sturdy work gloves and a bag; a litter picker is useful if you have one.
- Clothing: wear closed shoes and clothes suited to the weather.
- Route: go with someone and tell a trusted person where you'll be and when you expect to return.
- Support: if you're under 18, agree your plan with a responsible adult and decide how you'll contact each other if needed.
- What to bring: take a charged phone and water; if you're in a group, agree who will carry the first-aid kit.
If you're inviting a larger group, contact the land manager in advance and agree how the collected waste will be handed over. Don't assume someone will notice your bags and take them away later.
When should you stop?
This guide takes a cautious approach: don't pick up broken glass, needles, unknown containers or heavy objects yourself. Leave even a single suspicious item alone, however much the rest looks like ordinary picnic litter.
Don't touch batteries, chemicals or medical waste; these are also listed in VARAM's advice on hazardous finds. Latvia's State Environmental Service (VVD) asks people to report dumped construction debris and bulky waste through Vides SOS.
Don't sort through or clear an illegal dump, even a small one. Don't open abandoned bags, pull out their contents or try to remove “just a few safe things” from the pile.
Pick up what you can see
Take only individual items you can see clearly. Don't put your hands into thick grass or a pile of waste, and don't compress the bag with your hands or feet.
Gloves don't protect you from every kind of waste. If something makes you unsure, leave it and report it.
Don't step into water or onto a steep slope to reach a piece of packaging. Stop if the bag becomes too heavy or there is more work than you can safely finish.
Collected it? Here's where it goes
Take the waste to the collection point you checked beforehand and follow its acceptance rules. Don't leave a bag beside a path, next to an overflowing bin or by someone else's container without permission.
Sort the collected waste according to the local waste operator's instructions. VVD encourages sorting during clean-ups, but check your disposal options before you start, not when you're already holding a full bag. (VVD's clean-up advice)
Take your own hiking packaging home too; Latvia's Nature Conservation Agency reminds visitors to take out what they bring in. Wash your hands afterwards and clean and put away your equipment.
There are other ways to help
If litter picking isn't suitable for you, choose another task. You could help plan an accessible route or prepare a report about what the group has found.
Afterwards, have a quick chat about what went well and what you'd change next time. A good result isn't an overfilled bag at any cost: it's a job finished safely.