Hafsa Omar, 37, from Moss Side, Manchester, is the founder of the Moss Side Eco Squad, a volunteer group that picks up litter in the area. What began as a personal initiative on maternity leave has grown into a community effort.
How it started
During maternity leave, while walking with her baby in the pram, Omar noticed the amount of litter she had to dodge. She decided to clear it up herself. Soon, people approached her wanting to help, needing someone to organise them. She posted a time on Facebook and seven or eight people turned up.
Funding and equipment
For her birthday, Omar asked for litter pick sticks and gloves instead of presents to fund the equipment.
Community impact
The group picks up litter all over Moss Side. Omar says it has given her familiarity with her community, discovering cafés, shops and parks she had never seen before. The social side has been rewarding: strangers became good friends, checking on each other when sick, dropping off food, and celebrating birthdays.
Locals often say thanks. The group is offered free food from takeaways, cups of tea from residents, and donations of bin bags.
Challenges and finds
Some people assume the volunteers are ex-offenders doing community service. The most common litter seen is takeaway wrappers, often thrown from car windows. Omar says she has caught people and asks, 'Do you do that at home?' They usually say sorry.
Weird finds include a dried-up stingray fish and decapitated dolls.
Safety and fly tipping
The group does not touch drug paraphernalia; they report it to the council. Fly tipping is common, with landlords renting to students who dump mattresses when moving in and out yearly.
The average is two bin bags of rubbish per person, about 20 bags each time. Most volunteers have families and jobs, so there is no pressure to commit. The group started in 2020.
Personal motivation
Omar explains: 'It gives me asense of belonging in the place where I live. I've moved around my whole life. This is the first place that really feels like home.'
She also helps organise the Junior Parkrun in Moss Side every Sunday for kids and takes part in the adult run. Her hobbies include swimming.
