A Caterham on the Hill litter picker has been nominated for this month’s Spotlight feature, for her dedication to cleaning up her local area.
Resident Jane Pugh told us about the commendable efforts of Maria Bustillo, who gives up time at weekends and in her lunch hours to remove rubbish from the town’s streets.
“I moved here during Covid, and soon realised how much litter there is,” says Maria. “My daughter is five, and I was horrified about what I would find in the playground, as well as the nitrous oxide canisters and vapes that get dumped everywhere. I decided to do something about it.”
She bought a litter picker and began walking – her regular route takes in Coulsdon Road, the high street, Church Hill, Waller Lane, Queen’s Park and the Westway – cleaning up as she went, but becoming dispirited by how quickly the rubbish would return. She feels the fact that she, and the few others who also pick litter in Caterham, have to do it so regularly indicates a massive problem.
“It feels like the system is broken across the country: something needs to change, but nobody seems prepared to do so. Local authorities should be keeping our environment clean, but they’re not, and nobody, not even in central government, is taking the lead.
My family are from Spain: they pay for services and you see the streets being jet washed every night, and people tidying the motorways. I wish that happened here.”
Maria has had help from local councillor Jeremy Webster.
“He’s been brilliant. He comes out with me, and put me in touch with the council, which collects my full litter bags. He is also part of a volunteer group which collects rubbish around Junction 6, something which National Highways should be doing, but don’t.
John Read of Clean Up Britain is actually taking National Highways to court over the state of our motorways.
Littering is bad for the ecosystem, and impacts our enjoyment of the outdoors. We need to become more intolerant of the behaviour which causes the problem, such as businesses who trade in take-outs and drivers who throw rubbish out of windows. Perhaps we should also be putting pressure on local authorities to do more to prioritise keeping our common spaces free of litter, like John Read is doing.
We need to reconnect people with their local environment. I’d like to see councils doing more to encourage civic pride: it’s about more than just putting signs up.”
After clearing Caterham’s roads for so long, Maria says it is beginning to wear her down:
“I’m only one person – it would be great if others were willing to form a group with me that could go out periodically, maybe once a month, to hit the rubbish hotspots around here.
If you are able to help Maria tackle the litter issue in Caterham on the Hill, please contact Helen Broughton, who co-ordinates the volunteer litter pickers’ WhatsApp group: clerk@caterhamhillparishcouncil.co.uk.
