- Town chosen to be at the centre of a bold new community pride campaign
- Call for residents, businesses and schools to get on board
A powerful new campaign is launching this week in Heckmondwike to encourage residents to take pride in their town and tackle litter together. The Love Where You Live: Heckmondwike initiative is inviting local people to reconnect with their community and play a part in making their environment cleaner, greener and more cared for.
The pioneering new approach launches amidst growing concerns about litter, fly-tipping and lack of public engagement and will see a number of initiatives rolled out in the community over the coming months. The first, ‘Bin It For Good’, launches today and will see local causes rewarded for responsible litter disposal – a tried and tested idea that is proven to reduce litter by up to 80%.
Every piece of rubbish binned in Market Square’s high-visibility smart bins will count toward donations to three much-loved local charities, all nominated and voted for by Heckmondwike residents. The more that locals and visitors bin their litter, the more money the following charities will receive1.
• Rainbow Baby Bank – provides disadvantaged families and mothers-to-be with new and
pre-loved baby equipment, nappies, toiletries, clothing, baby food and infant formula
after professional referral – fundraising will go live on June 9
• Brighter Grays – offers support to children and their families who have suffered a
bereavement. The charity was started by a local mum after her husband and the father
of her daughter, Lacie, died in 2021 and she found there was very little help available
for grieving children – fundraising will go live on July 7
• Magic Wishing Well – Heckmondwike Food Bank – fundraising will go live on August 4
A recent survey of Heckmondwike residents showed just 56% say they love where they live – 10% below the national average. To give wider context, A Rubbish Reality report published by Keep Britain Tidy earlier this year showed more than 90% of sites across England surveyed over the past 10 years contained litter and almost three times as much litter was found in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.
Over the next year, Heckmondwike will see everything from school-led clean-ups and litter picking days to business partnerships and initiatives tackling specific issues like dog mess, fly tipping and cigarette litter. The aim is to empower the community with the tools and incentives they need to help make a real difference. The impact of each initiative will be carefully measured with the aim of creating a blueprint for other towns facing similar issues.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Litter impacts people’s mental health. It makes people feel depressed and it deters business investment and affects property prices. A clean and tidy environment on people’s doorsteps can improve feelings of wellbeing, pride and community cohesion and is also likely to reduce anti-social behaviour – this is possible if everyone pulls together.
“There is a strong public desire to ‘turn off the tap’ of litter, rather than ‘mop up the problem’ and we’re really encouraged that nearly half of Heckmondwike residents told us they’re willing to take action to make a difference. We look forward to sharing our learnings and inspiring other areas of the country facing similar issues.”
Kim Leadbeater MBE, Labour MP for Spen Valley, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for my home town of Heckmondwike. This campaign isn’t just about litter - it’s about community transformation. Everyone has a role to play and I’m looking forward to seeing our brilliant local businesses, schools and residents get behind it. We want everyone to be able to say they love living here.
“The Bin It for Good initiative is a great starting point and will not only help keep our town clean and beautiful, but will help support charities that do incredible work in our community. I hope other towns across the country will soon be following our lead.”
Councillor Amanda Pinnock, Cabinet Member for Communities and Environment at Kirklees Council, said: “We’re working towards making Heckmondwike town centre better for everyone, with our Heckmondwike Blueprint schemes already beginning to take shape and benefitting local people. Campaigns like this will help to ensure the town centre remains a pleasant, enjoyable place to be long after these investments come to fruition. The reality is the costs of ‘cleaning up’ litter and fly-tipping means less money for vital services.
“This campaign is like setting the reset button on our town and we are delighted to have the support of behaviour change experts, Keep Britain Tidy, who have some brilliant tried and tested ideas that our community can embrace. Being able to address the issue of litter without putting any additional strain on services is truly welcomed and we are excited to see what we can achieve in partnership with the community of Heckmondwike”.
Local residents can sign up as:
• A business or community group to receive resources to help you engage your customers and community in our litter initiatives
• A school or nursery to help use the student voice to shape the project
• An individual to join community events and help spread the word!
Love Where You Live Heckmondwike is part of the Litter Pact project by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, with support from Kirklees Council, and leading food and drinks brands including Nestlé with the aim of investing in research and programmes to reduce litter. The campaign is being closely watched as a test model for broader adoption across the UK.
1Three local charities serving Heckmondwike will receive donations of up to £500 each during summer 2025, terms and conditions apply.