Chevron Green Services jumped at the chance to get involved in a little pick initiative in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
More than 140 bags of rubbish were collected when National Highways organised a week-long litter-pick along an 11-mile stretch of the A5 in Staffordshire.
Among the items found dumped by the roadside were a large double mattress and cushions from a three-piece suite.
Local businesses, police, members of the community and contractors were among those that joined the mass clean-up.
From Monday 11 July until Friday 15 July, litter pickers were at work along the length of the A5 between Gailey Island, near Cannock and Muckley Corner, near Lichfield.
Chevron Green Services, Colas and Carnell took part in the clean-up and a team from Lichfield City Council.
As well as focusing on the roadside, Staffordshire Police joined the exercise to carry out load security checks on vehicles using the busy main road. Shed loads and items obstructing the carriageway pose a serious risk for road users.
In the West Midlands last year there were 7,514 incidents of the road being obstructed by shed loads and items found in the carriageway ranging from tyres and vehicle parts to trees and sports equipment. There were 146 incidents on the A5.
The initiative was organised by National Highways Assistant Regional Safety Co-ordinator, Marie Biddulph, and supported by Regional Director for the Midlands, Andrew Jinks, who was there to help on the day.
He said: “People, quite rightly, hate to see litter by the side of the road. As well as taking a terrible toll on the environment, litter builds up in road verges creating a safety risk for road users, wildlife and the maintenance crews who have to clean it up.
“Money spent cleaning up after people who idly drop their rubbish by the roadside could be better spent on other priorities such as repairing potholes.
“Although we are dealing with litter every day across the country, we have joined forces with the community and our partners in Staffordshire now to make sure that visitors in the region for the Commonwealth Games and attending events such as the cycling at Cannock Chase get the best possible impression of the area.”
Tobias Franke, of Chevron Green Services, said:
“We are delighted to be part of the National Highways litter pick initiative in preparation for the Commonwealth Games because we are passionate about protecting our environment and keeping it free from litter. We think this is a fantastic way for Chevron Green Services to work in collaborative way to make a real and positive difference to the environment and the local community.”
Chevron Green Services are very passionate about the environment and leaving it in a better state than we found it. It was such a joy to work collaboratively with other contractors in Area 9 and to help to give a good impression to those arriving for the Games.
