Oldham: Litter-picking hero removes rubbish bags every week

Linda Marchment, of Hathershaw, tirelessly removes bags of rubbish dumped near her home week after week having made it her mission to tidy up the roads.

While others in the town were sleeping off a hangover yesterday (March 24), the 62-year-old spent her Sunday morning picking discarded cigarette buds and crisp packets off the paving.

Linda Marchment, pictured in her hi-vis while out litter-picking (Image: Linda Marchment)

Taking to social media, she said: "Morning peeps, one hour, one bag and a bit.

"Another nice morning, not a lot of litter which allowed me to concentrate on some more weeding and the paths are looking so much better for it.

Two black bags outside alleyway gates which are now in the yellow bag. Bin it don't dump it."

Linda collected a bag full of rubbish on Sunday morning (Image: Linda Marchment)

Much of Linda's weekend was spent taking pride in her area, having spent an hour collecting a bag full of rubbish on Friday morning.

Having lived on Estate Street for 39 years, she now volunteers her own time to spruce up the neighbourhood which she claims has deteriorated in recent years.

On Thursday, Linda spent an hour and 15 minutes collecting rubbish and weeding along the pavement adding that the area is "so slowly but surely it's getting there".

Rubbish collected off the streets by Linda, and an alleyway between Panmure Street and Villa Road which was subject to a fly-tip (Image: Linda Marchment)

Last week, the litter-picking champion braved the rain to do just that for an hour before - collecting two bags of rubbish while also discovering a mop, two household green bins and a rubbish bag fly-tipped outside an alleyway on her street.

After collecting the litter, Linda either puts the bags in a nearby bin if they are empty, or leaves them roadside and flags it up with Oldham Council who send a team to collect.

The week before (March 5), she again to social media. Her post read: "Spent a very pleasant and productive two hours, tidying, maintaining and litter-picking this morning. Two bags, one fly-tip.

Before and after pictures of paving in Hathershaw after Linda had finished weeding (Image: Linda Marchment)

"Couple of parents engaged and thanked me which was nice, and a bloke in a car stopped and told me he does the same on Goddard Street.

"Will it stay like this? Hell no, but it got me out in the fresh air, I got some exercise, I enjoyed it and I felt like I had done something worth doing."

Adding what has become Linda's slogan: "Bin it, don't dump it."

Linda calls the bags of rubbish she collects the 'fruits of her labour', while the second picture shows a fly-tip which she reported to Oldham Council (Image: Linda Marchment)

While two days before she said: "Morning peeps, spent a couple of hrs tidying up along the railings as Gavin Clarke very kindly came and trimmed along the path edge with the community group strimmer.

"Fantastic job and made a huge difference then did a quick litter pick of the street just to complete the clean up." 

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