‘Keep Manchester Tidy’ campaign launched

Manchester City Council and Keep Britain Tidy are collaborating with the aim of making Manchester the UK’s first ‘Tidy City’ by 2020.

The ‘Keep Manchester Tidy’ campaign is the first formal partnership between a UK city and the Keep Britain Tidy charity and hopes to be a trailblazer for a national network of ‘Tidy Cities’ in the future. It aims to create a cleaner city, with better parks, green spaces and waterways, which recycles more and plays its part in limiting the impacts of climate change.

The agreement will involve public sector organisations, businesses, schools and residents’ groups working together to tackle littering in all its forms, with the initial focus for activities being on reducing littering, dog-fouling and fly-tipping. An independent taskforce will also be formed, with local organisations and businesses invited to get involved to make their contribution to keeping Manchester tidy.

Nigel Murphy, executive member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We know how passionately our residents feel about the fight against littering and how proud they are of their neighbourhoods. We’re committed to playing our part, by making sure our streets are cleaned and our bins are emptied. However, we need as many people, businesses and organisations as possible on board, which is why we're so excited about the launch of this ground-breaking new partnership with Keep Britain Tidy. By bringing everyone together, we know that we can make a real difference and not just make Manchester tidy, but Keep Manchester Tidy.”

Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, added: “We are very proud to be working with Manchester on its journey to becoming the country’s first ‘Tidy City’ and to see its commitment to creating a fantastic environment for those who work and live in the city, or visit it. We know how much people care about the environment on their doorstep and look forward to working with Manchester to realise the vision of a Tidy City.’