Amber Valley Borough Council is urging drivers to “take it home” as its annual spring clean of the A38 gets under way.
Last year alone, clearing litter from the stretch between Coxbench and Alfreton cost around £40,000 and saw 1,600 bags of waste removed from one of the busiest roads in the borough.
This year, from 1 March to 5 April, teams from Amber Valley Borough Council will be working along the dual carriageway every Sunday to carry out the large-scale clean-up.
Because of the speed and volume of traffic, the work requires formal road closures so staff can operate safely just metres from live lanes.
Litter picking takes place across Amber Valley seven days a week throughout the year. Along the A38, accessible areas such as lay-bys and slip roads are cleared on a rolling basis wherever it is safe to do so.
However, a full clearance of the carriageway and verges can only take place under controlled road closures, making the annual spring clean the only opportunity to complete this work in one coordinated operation.
Pictured: Nigel and Tim from the Council’s Landscape Services team with Councillor Amina Burslem.
Councillor Amina Burslem, Cabinet Member for Communities, Street Pride and Wellbeing, said:
"Most people driving along the A38 will not see what builds up in the verges, but our teams do.
"They are working in challenging and sometimes hazardous conditions next to a high-speed road to clear thousands of pieces of litter.
"Last year alone, this stretch cost around £40,000 to clean. That is funding paid for by local taxpayers and money that could otherwise be invested in other services across the borough.
"We know the vast majority of road users care about Amber Valley. We are asking everyone to take their litter home, recycle where possible and use a bin. Small actions make a big difference.
"Reducing roadside litter protects wildlife, keeps our environment cleaner and reduces the need for large-scale clean-ups like this.”
Each year, thousands of individual items are collected and bagged, including drinks bottles, cans and other household waste.
This year’s clean is expected to cost between £30,000 and £40,000.
The council is urging drivers to take their litter home, recycle where possible and use a bin to help prevent items ending up along the roadside in the first place.
Pictured: Litter built up on one slip road of the A38 near Ripley.
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email enquiry@ambervalley.gov.uk
