The Duke of Cambridge is lending his support to the Daily Mail’s Great British Spring Clean initiative this spring, with a Kensington Palace source telling the newspaper that William “encourages everyone who can to take part.”
“Litter is more than just an eyesore – it is a threat to the health of our environment. Litter pick-ups are great things to do as a family and can help teach children about how they can care for the natural world,” William’s aide said.
The Great British Spring Clean takes place from 22 March to 23 April.
“We are calling on #LitterHeroes across the country to help improve the environment on their doorstep,” reads the initiative’s website.
“We’re aiming to inspire 500,000 people to join forces—in partnership with community organisations, businesses and the government—to collect and safely dispose of single-use plastic from our streets, parks and beaches, recycling as much as possible.”
The Great British Spring Clean is part of Keep Britain Tidy, which was first registered as a charity in 1960 and has grown in size and scope since then. In 2018, over 374,000 people joined the initiative, and 13,500 cleaning events were held across the country.
“Not only is it an issue of cleaning up the place in which we live but one that has wider environmental impact,” the aide continued.
“Anything that families can do to educate children about picking up litter and the issue this plays in the wider environment is a good thing.”
Prince William has spoken about environmental issues before, saying it’s something he and Harry learned from their father growing up.
“We were in Norfolk on school holidays, and we went out litter picking with him,” William said in a television documentary marking Prince Charles’s 70th birthday last November.
“We thought it was perfectly normal, everyone must do it. We were there with our spikes stabbing the rubbish into black plastic bags.”
