Over a Tonne of Rubbish Picked Up from the Hog’s Back

Published on: 26 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 26 Mar, 2026

Guildford Borough Council has recently carried out a major litter-clearing operation along the A31, collecting more than a tonne of waste in three days.

Crews from the council tackled a stretch of the Hog’s Back, close to Wanborough, focusing on the nearside verge and the central reservation of the dual carriageway. In total, 1,060kg of litter was removed from this section of road.

In addition to the manual litter pick, the team used a mechanical road sweeper to clear accumulated debris. This collected a further 6,340kg, helping to keep the route cleaner, safer and more pleasant for road users.

Supporting the Great British Spring Clean 2026

This clean-up coincides with the Great British Spring Clean 2026, which invites communities across the UK to join litter-picking events in their local areas.

The council says it is proud to support this campaign and encourages residents, schools, businesses and community groups to get involved.

However, it is also keen to remind volunteers not to pick up litter on busy roads. It can be dangerous, particularly in areas that require traffic management (such as lane closures).

Instead, residents are encouraged to choose safe locations such as parks, residential streets and open spaces. The council recommends:

don’t litter pick on roads with a speed limit of more than 30mph
don’t climb down into ditches to collect waste
don’t litter pick on roads that have no pavement to walk along
always protect yourself by wearing gloves, reflective clothing and using suitable equipment.

How GBC can help

The council offers support to anyone wishing to organise a safe community litter pick. This can include:

loaning litter-picking equipment
providing bags and gloves
arranging the collection of bagged waste from an agreed location
offering advice on choosing safe, appropriate sites for litter-picking.

Anyone interested in organising a litter pick can visit the council’s website for more information on how to do so.

Responses to Over a Tonne of Rubbish Picked Up from the Hog’s Back

Roland Dunster Reply

March 28, 2026 at 12:17 am

The perennial and vicious cycle of, consequence-free littering; limited cleaning; consequence-free littering, continues.

The simple acts of opening one’s eyes, stepping outside and walking, cycling or driving in any direction in the borough lays bare the extent of the shameful levels of litter that blanket and pollute every corner and environment of it, particularly its road verges and undergrowth. Add to that the explosion of graffiti vandalism that has been allowed to proliferate in the town and suburbs.

Until national and local authorities (including GBC) proactively and overtly enforce laws and fines (with the use of authority support providers if need be), these socially, environmentally and financially-corrosive crimes will continue unabated, and the wellbeing of the law abiding will equally continue to be sacrificed for the sensitivities of the perpetrators.