Action Against Litter newsletter – Issue 11

Rise Up Clean Up held their final litter pick of the year on Sunday 14 December.

No need to wait for January to start your new year’s resolutions… Beach cleans are the best ways to get your fresh air fix, get your steps in, and do some solid environmental volunteering all at the same time! Rise Up Clean Up have a terrific, friendly volunteering crew who would love to see you there. They meet at the Octopus hut on Main Sands, across from Arlington House. All equipment is provided, just bring warm clothes.

Next beach clean is 11 January 2026 at 11am.

Remember you can stay up to date on their Instagram @riseupcleanup

New murals

Have you seen the stunning new murals from the ‘She Rises with the Sea’ project? This gorgeous public art celebrates feminist, mythological storytelling as key to protecting the environment.

• You can find artist KMG’s ‘The Shark Whisperer’ in Margate.
• Find ‘The Ocean Wolf and the Selkie’ in Broadstairs.
• Autonemy’s mural in Westbrook will be unveiled next month.

If you are in hibernation mode, you can see behind the scenes content with artist KMG on the Rise Up Residency Instagram.

Watch this short film on the Rise Up Residency’s Youtube channel.

KMG talks about her process: learning about the local environment and folklore, and creating public art that speaks to the landscape. Her murals are inspired by the matriarchal societies of orcas and by women co-existing with sharks.

You can read more about the project in this Culturalee article.

Website refresh

The Rise Up Clean Up website has been updated! This includes the volunteers page. Take a look if you would like to get to know who is working behind the scenes (and on the beach) at Rise Up Clean Up.

Explore the projects: they might inspire you to get involved and see your own face on the volunteer page!

Volunteers needed for litter picks.

• Saturday 17 January 10am Pierremont Park Broadstairs meet in front of Pierremont Hall
• Saturday 31 January 10am Viking Bay Broadstairs meet in front of ‘The Old Look Out’
• Saturday 14 February 10am Memorial Rec. Broadstairs meet at the gates next to bowls club
• Saturday 28 February 10am St Peter’s Village meet at the ‘stock’s

Can you lend a hand for an hour?

Please bring friends, family or members of local clubs. Bring your own gloves, the Town Team will provide pickers and bin bags.

Cleanup UK are here to support local volunteers and neighbourhoods to reduce litter and build cleaner, safer and more connected communities.

Reviewing the end of year data, Cleanup UK are super proud of all the hard work the hubs and volunteers have achieved this year. The 6 hubs in Thanet at Ark (Cliftonville), Bon Volks Studio (Dane Park), Oval Bandstand, Ellington Park Café, Newington Community Centre and Radford House (Ramsgate) have collected over 2,700 bags on over 400 individual litter picks which is a huge achievement. Shout out to the Ramsgate Litter Pickers for 349 litter picks across Ramsgate and Newington Community Centre for 49! Some of their hubs have been a little hampered by vital building work and renovations this year but they are looking forward to welcoming litter pickers and increasing numbers in 2026.

CleanupUK are also excited to announce that a NEW HUB will be joining in the new year at the magical Windmill Community Gardens. Watch this space for a launch litter pick in 2026 as they look forward to supporting the community to tackle litter in the Dane Valley, Dane Woods area.

There are now 100 Community Cleanup Hubs in England, helping people come together to keep their neighbourhoods clean and welcoming.

Each Hub is stocked with litter-picking sticks, hoops, gloves, hi-vis vests and more – all free to borrow. Whether you want to do a quick tidy-up on your street or organise a group cleanup, your local Hub makes it really easy to get involved.

Find your nearest hub via the CleanupUK website and follow Sam Cleanupuk Thanet Facebook for local Thanet updates.

A huge thank you to every community, hub and volunteer. Here’s to keeping Thanet litter-free in 2026!

This section lets you get to know members of the community who are having a positive environmental impact in Thanet. Do you know someone whose work should be celebrated? Email us at education@thanet.gov.uk

For this issue, we met up with Maxine Morgan, Technician Manager (Projects and Community) for Ramsgate Town Council.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you come to work in this area?

When I moved here, I had three children under two, and I didn’t know anyone. I was lucky enough to take on a parents and toddlers’ group, which I ran for over 11 years. I also started a Thanet twins club. As my children grew, I volunteered in all of their schools.

I soon got to know our neighbours. Many of us wanted to live in a nice environment, and the streets needed to be tidy. Eight years ago, I organised a spring clean by popping a note through every door on the street. We completed a litter pick, pulled weeds, and smartened up the area.

We would pile the waste outside my house. Then, we would contact Thanet District Council, which would take it away. Since then, we have also cleared back alleys. Now, the alleys are mostly clear, with just the odd fly-tipping which we report to the council.

I have always volunteered. I chaired the Parents and Friends Association for the Charles Dickens School. I started a volunteer gardening group at the Westcliff Chine. I am also part of the Ramsgate Litter Pickers.

I used to work at a local bakery. There, I got to know some of Thanet District Council’s Open Spaces team. When my current job came up, I already had great contacts with key people. I had also built good contacts in the community. It’s like getting paid for what I used to do for free! I still enjoy volunteering in my spare time.

How have you worked with people to tackle litter?

As a community volunteer, I knew who to contact in Open Spaces and at Thanet District Council. Many community groups struggled to find the right person to deal with their issues. I became a main contact for local groups. I have been able to provide a personal connection to help them deal with issues like clearing litter, green waste, or reporting dead animals.

I am also the Chair of the Western Undercliff Regeneration Group. We started this about 13 years ago. We litter pick, fundraise for concrete benches, and organise a winter swim each year. We also garden and tend to the Westcliff Chine.

I am also on the committee for the Ramsgate Skatepark.

What positive changes have you introduced?

Ramsgate Town Council now issues reusable builder’s bags for volunteer groups to collect their green waste. The council takes the waste to Thanet District Council for green waste recycling. In the past, it may have gone into landfill.

Is there anything you have achieved that you are especially proud of?

About 12 years ago, I volunteered with the RNLI to clear the Eastcliff Sea Garden of weeds and rubbish. This included a flint spiral installed by a local artist in 2008.

Sadly, it was not maintained. A volunteer contacted me to see if we could restore it. I helped to put a community group together. Ramsgate Town Council now cuts the grass and maintains the area. Our aim was to use the original plants that would have grown there. The group raised their own funds. Now, its nine members carefully look after the garden. They also litter pick the area around it.

Can you talk to us about some of the recent volunteer work in Ramsgate?

Since October 2024, Ramsgate litter pickers have cleared 2,332 bags of rubbish. This has been logged at our CleanUpUK hub at Radford House, Ramsgate.

We take part in the Great British Spring Clean every year. We collect hundreds of bags. This year, we worked with the Ramsgate Society on a big litter pick at Jackey Bakers. They felt it was as important to do large inland litter picks as well as beach cleans.

We have such an active community of litter pickers. We can lend equipment to other people who want to get involved. The social connection that comes with it is so important. People often meet up outside of the group. We have a community of people who post on the litter pickers Facebook group and have become friends through that.

What motivates you so much?

I love where I live, and I like it to look loved. I love getting people together. I have met so many wonderful people while volunteering. Chatting to people while litter picking has also encouraged others to do the same.

Thanet District Council once gave out portable ashtrays. I carry these with me and always give them out. Lots of people use these now. It educates people about how long it takes for a cigarette butt to break down.

I encourage people to use Thanet District Council’s website to report fly-tipping. I am happy to show them how to use the site so they can do it themselves next time. I will always take the time to help someone if I can.

Pride and community are two hugely important things to me. It is important to thank the people who litter pick for the time they have given. We have an amazing community in Ramsgate. Gardeners, litter pickers, and the Town Team are all working for the same aim: to make Ramsgate a better place.