A whole chicken, sausage rolls, and half a pork pie were among the unexpected finds during a recent litter pick.
Plastic Free Pickering donned gloves to undertake the forensic litter-dive to coincide with North Yorkshire Council’s Recycling Week 2026.
Supported by Pickering Town CIC volunteers and Councillor Joy Andrews, 20 bags of refuse from the Market Place, Smiddy Hill, Ropery and Potter Hill were deposited in the Memorial Hall, broken open and sorted into piles, in an attempt to discover how much disposable one-use plastic was generated in Pickering on a busy day’s trading.
Bridget Strong from Plastic Free Pickering said: “The group were quite surprised by their findings for the day, as we imagined there would be many more take-away coffee cups, demonstrating that those visiting Pickering prefer to sit-in and enjoy a traditional cup of tea out of china cup which is, of course, a great way to avoid waste.
A rough break-down of percentages of the recycling was as follows: 40% paper/cardboard, 15% plastic bottles, 15% takeaway cups, 10% soft plastics, 10% cans and 10% other items. What proved insightful was the staggering amount of food waste, including a whole, uneaten chicken, untouched sausage rolls, a bag of potatoes and half a huge pork pie!”
Cllr Andrews said “This was a really interesting exercise. Pickering, as a whole, is a very clean town and is relatively little-free thanks to the on-going work of StreetScene, PTCIC Volunteers, Pick-it-up Pickering and individuals who monitor and clean their streets off their own bat.”
The Plastic Free Movement aims to combat plastic pollution by encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics.
It emphasizes sustainable alternatives, behavioural change, and systemic solutions to address the environmental and health impacts of plastic waste. If you are interested in joining the movement and live in Pickering or the surrounding area then please contact: plasticfreepickering@gmail.com