Foss Island Cycle Path in York has had a tidy up as part of the Great British Spring Clean 2025. Nestlé UK employees used their volunteering days to take part in the nation’s biggest litter pick, removing 20 bags of litter.
A bike tyre, an old rucksack and bike handlebars were just some of the items that Nestlé York office workers found on the litter pick, which was held on the afternoon of 26th March on the cycle path.
The Great British Spring Clean, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, is the nation's biggest litter pick campaign and runs from 21 March – 6 April. Nestlé has been a proud supporter of this initiative for the past five years, complementing its ambition for none of its packaging waste to end up as landfill or litter. Through the partnership, Nestlé Confectionery contributed to funding the campaign, hosted the organised clean-up event in York and encouraged its employees to pledge volunteer time to litter-picking.
Sustainability Manager for Nestlé Confectionery, Jo Simpson, said: “We understand that packaging contributes significantly to litter across the UK and at Nestlé, we want to do our bit to tackle that.
“Our goal is for none of our packaging to end up as landfill or litter and taking part in the Great British Spring Clean is just one of the ways we’re working towards it.
“We’re also focussed on reducing unnecessary packaging in our products, ensuring that materials are recyclable and exploring new packaging options, like the Quality Street Paper Tub trial that saw more than 200,000 paper tubs in the UK last Christmas.
“The litter picking sessions are a great way for our employees to make use of their two volunteering days a year and positively impact their local communities.”
Allison Ogden Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Nestlé has shown a genuine commitment to tackle litter and reduce packaging and we’re proud to partner with them throughout the Great British Spring Clean.
“We’re delighted that their staff took positive action to tackle litter up on the well-known Foss Islands Cycle Path and showing that they, like our thousands of other volunteers, love where they live.”
The Great British Spring Clean campaign runs from the 21st March to the 6th of April 2025. Keep Britain Tidy is encouraging more people than ever before to support the initiative. In 2024, approximately 325,000 volunteers across the country collected more than 425,000 bags of litter from streets, parks, and beaches, highlighting the significant impact of the campaign.