Litter is one of the main threats to hedgehogs living in urban environments. Unfortunately, many of them die because of it every year. To help create a safe and welcoming space for them on our campus, we’ve signed up to this year’s Big Hog-Friendly Litter Pick Challenge!
About the challenge
The challenge takes place between 20th September and 30th November 2022. The more litter we pick, the higher our chance of winning a hedgehog house and a bag of food for our campus! All participants (whether from the winning team or not) will also receive a digital certificate in recognition of their efforts.
To count in the challenge, the litter picks do not have to take place on campus or in groups – litter can be collected on your street, in a park, during a walk – wherever! Everyone is welcome to join – not only our staff and students but also anyone from our local community. You can even invite your family to join in, wherever they live.
The next litter pick will take place in Peel Park on Tuesday, 4th October , 15:00-16:00. Sign up here.
Take photos of your bags full of litter and email them to Marta at m.a.strzelecka1@salford.ac.uk. These don’t have to be bin bags – you can use any bags you’ve got, e.g. shopping bags; this will be accounted for by the judges. At the end of the challenge, we’ll send all photos to the Hedgehog Friendly Campus Team. We’ve now also got a Litter Picking Hub on campus – get in touch with us in touch with us if you’d like to borrow litter picking equipment.
By taking part in the challenge you’ll also help us work towards the next Hedgehog Friendly Campus award. We received Silver earlier this year and we’re now working towards Gold.
Litter picking safety tips
Please avoid:
- Sharp objects (e.g. broken glass)
- Clinical waste (e.g. syringes)
- Hazardous areas (e.g. fast running rivers)
- Litter picking by yourself if possible
- Heavy lifting
Please ensure that you:
- Wear gloves
- Cover any cuts
- Keep hands away from your eyes and mouth
- Wash hands straight away after litter picking
- Wear sturdy, appropriate footwear and waterproofs if needed
- Recycle any plastic, glass and aluminium
- Adhere to the Government Covid procedures
- If you find any dangerous, poisonous or hazardous materials, contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60.
- Here you can find more info about the Hedgehog Friendly Campus at Salford.
- Read our previous blog post to learn more about how litter affects hedgehogs.
- Want to get involved in the campaign? Click here to join our working group on Teams!
- Follow the University of Salford Hedgehog Friendly Campus team on social media: Twitter and Instagram