The Work of our Litter Picking Champions

I have been getting messages from many of the FSW to tell me about the superb work they are doing in collecting litter from our wood on their regular walks. We have decided to collate this into an archive on the website to give credit and acknowledgement to these star litter picking champions. Messages are in reverse order with the most recent at the top.

If you collect litter in our wood do please let me know via the website, Facebook or email and I will be delighted to add your work to the archive and to send you a copy of our Fantastic Foxes Litter Picker badge.


Sincerest THANKS to all the collectors mentioned below:-)


13/4/21

The FSW have purchased a new bin to replace the makeshift one placed at the entrance to Greenhill Way in March (see below). This is much more official looking and has a dog poo sticker but we have left the notice to explain that this bin is provided by and serviced by FSW.

Neale bought the bin for us and has supplied a cable and padlock to fasten it to a tree.

I shall empty it by removing the liner and contents every couple of days and relining. The makeshift version has been collecting an average of 15 bags per day. 

The next step will be to lobby the Council to either supply a standard bin in this location or at the very least to service our bin. It may be possible to start a public campaign for this.

2020/2021

The same regular litter pickers continued their work throughout 2020 when littering in the wood increased. The covid pandemic meant that many more people were using the wood for daily exercise and relaxation and littering increased proportionally.

In March 2021 I spent around 40 minutes picking up in excess of 50 poo bags that had been thrown into the brambles at the top of F1. Not an easy job in deep brambles with many logs and the resulting bag full was almost too heavy for me to carry down to the bin. We have asked the Council for a poo bin there several times but they have refused.

I put a makeshift bin at the start of the Greenhill Way path which I plan to empty myself every few days. It had a large log inside to anchor it. Neale made a laminated notice which he attached to the log. It reads:

PLEASE, PLEASE do not throw poo bags into the undergrowth. Leave them in this bin and the FSW will empty it every couple of days. 

A 72 year old volunteer spent 40 minutes at the end of March clearing over 50 poo bags from where they had been thrown into the brambles. 

Please do not make her do that ever again!!

It had collected 15 bags after the first 2 days.

Message received from Facebook 10/10/19

Four days, four bags of the cast-offs from Billy and Bessie Bonehead, Selsdon’s dedicated litter zombies. Must be challenging for them, with IQs in single figures...

The bag dropped right in the middle of the entrance to Greenhill Way, spotted this morning, is just priceless stupidity.


Steve Budd

Message received from Facebook 23/9/19
Ruth gathered most of this from around the bench in Great Field, next to the entry to Courtwood and Leafy...

Message received from Facebook 28/8/19
Another bag of assorted rubbish scattered by the brainless litter slobs bites the dust courtesy of Ruth and I.

Steve Budd
Message received from Facebook 5/8/19

So another litter pick today and along great field just before the leafy grove / Courtwood grove junction behind a bench we found this .... absolutely incredible that these idiots find it acceptable to leave this mess some of the bottles were out of the box and one was broken in several pieces , also small plastic bags and other rubbish , what we don’t understand is they have taken the bother to carry a box of beer bottles all the way to this point but taking a lighter load away with them is far too difficult and if you see in the box there is actually a carrier bag !!! 

Message received from Facebook 27/7/19

Steve and I did a litter pick this morning and several poo bags picked up. I just don’t understand why ppl hang them from trees what do they think will happen to these unsightly bags left dangling in our beautiful woods ? Anyway a few paths clearer for a while I hope. We will go to the other side in the next day or so.

Ruth Budd

Message received from Facebook 25/7/19 

We’ve been out today collecting rubbish mainly poo bags that people can’t be bothered to carry to the bin from the main fields But to be fair it’s a bit hot so we returned to car to empty out what was left of our water canteens into the big pink bowl at the carpark field under the tree for the dog to drink.

Paul O'Beirne

Paul & family are using litter pickers, bags and hi-viz jackets donated to FSW by Croydon's Clean and Green team. Many thanks to them and to the stalwart litter pickers.

I do have a few more litter pickers, bags, gloves and jackets if anyone would like them - just contact me on selsdonwood@gmail.com 

Messages received by email 16/7/19. 17/7/19

18/7/19 - Yet more from the car park this morning
17/7/19 - Today's find - half buried - part of a broken bottle. Another potential cut dog paw prevented.
16/7/19 - Today's haul from my dog walk. Most (all the Red Bull cans) in bushes by the car park, just yards from the litter bin.
15/7/19 - Didn't have a litter picker (can't manage one as well as 3 dogs) or a bag (but did have a poo bag) so this is what I collected on my dog walk this morning. 
Rosalyn Heaton
Message received from the website 14/7/19

Hi, just a quick note to let you know than when walking the dog this evening we picked up 25 nitrous oxides canisters strewn across the car park. They weren’t there this morning. Unfortunately the good weather may bring anti social behaviour with it 😡 Vicky

Message received from Facebook 12/7/19 

Trophy hunter 😂 just a small bag of rubbish today (see photo). It didnt seem so bad on the paths we went down just the usual poo bags and a broken glass and little bits really, shame its there at all though hopefully things will improve now if a few more ppl join in
Ruth Budd