It is a tale often told by environmental groups and organisations; community action is the heart of the solution. But few quantify this statement with empirical evidence. Without a clear figure of what impact communities are having, how do we know if engaging them actually works?

That’s where Trash Free Trails have hit the nail on the head. Their mission to ‘reconnect people with nature through the simple yet meaningful act of removing single-use pollution from wild places’ might appear gentle, but behind it is a dedicated and relentlessly positive international team of (mostly) volunteers realising their vision for 2030. ‘We exist to protect our trails and wild places and where they take us to’ they say; it’s clear from their latest Annual Impact Report that they are doing just that.

The Report bridges every aspect of the organisation’s work. From developing innovative education programmes for young people to providing individuals with fun, inspiring and informative tools to host their own trail cleans, it’s safe to say Trash Free Trails are bringing out the very best in anti-littering advocacy.

But what stands out in this Report is the high engagement of individuals and communities to contribute to the State of Our Trails Report – a first of its kind project informing the first academically powered study into the make up of terrestrial single-use pollution.

The State of Our Trails Report is powered by what Trash Free Trails call ‘Citizen Science’. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can wear this title. Simply collect some trash while out and about, report it on the Trash Free Trails website and there you have it; you’re your local area’s very own citizen scientist.

With nearly 100,000 individual items of single-use pollution removed in 2022 alone, Trash Free Trails are directly contributing to the wellbeing of trails and wild places the world over. Better yet is the nearly 3,000 volunteer hours contributed by over 2,000 people.

This is where Trash Free Trails are turning the tide on what ‘community action’ can be. Instead of encouraging everyone to reach beyond their capacity, their mission is powered by the pocketful of trash you pick up on your daily dog walk, while hitting the trails with mates on the weekend, on your weekend stroll through the city. As soon as you pick up a piece of trash, you’re part of the community. So says Rachel Coleman, TFT’s Comms Manager:

‘We’re incredibly proud of everything we achieved in 2022, but most especially the amount of people who took up our call to protect their local trails, parks and wild places. It’s these small, individual acts that show that community can be so much more than where we live or who’s directly around us. When you remove that piece of trash, you become part of our global community. Look what we’ve already achieved – look what more we can do together.’

To read the Report and get involved for 2023, head to https://www.trashfreetrails.org/2022-impact-report for more information.