The Hunts Post is recruiting an army of people around the district to help keep the streets of Huntingdonshire tidy.

According to Keep Britain Tidy's Local Environment Quality Survey, it is estimated that the cost of picking up litter in Britain is more than £1billion annually, so we are asking you for a helping hand.

We are asking readers to collect rubbish. If you are a school, a business, a community group, or even an individual, get involved and pick up rubbish you see on the streets and help keep Huntingdonshire looking clean and tidy.

All you have to do is get together with your friends and family, and organise a morning or afternoon of litter picking. It doesn't have to take very long, but the results will hep towards the Let's Talk Rubbish campaign.

To get involved, collect bags of rubbish, and dispose of them in the correct bins. Then, send us pictures of your litter pick, alongside your name and how many bags of rubbish you have collected. As the weeks go by, our target is to collectively gather 1,000 bags of rubbish.

But the campaign doesn't stop there, if you are doing your bit to save the environment please let us know. It could be banning plastic cups from your office, or encouraging people to bring in their own water bottles. Whatever it is, please do let us know.

Tag us in your posts on social media by using the hashtag #Letstalkrubbish, give us a call, send an e-mail, or drop into our office.

According to Government figures, the amount of waste that is being recycled in the UK is increasing.

Figures show that the recycling rate for waste from households in England in 2017 was 45.2 per cent, up from 44.9 per cent in 2016. In 2000, the household waste recycling rate was 11 per cent.

But what if it doesn't make it to the bin? According to the Local Environment Quality Survey, in 2018 littering of food and soft drinks went up, while incidents of dog fouling and use of plastic bags declined, the latter after the 5p charge was introduced.

Meanwhile, the Litter Action group said 59 per cent of its volunteers reported the problem of rural litter was "more than they could deal with", up from 46 per cent in a previous survey.

INFO: To get involved in the campaign, e-mail Katie Ridley on katie.ridley@archant.co.uk.

It's now up to you to help us tidy up Huntingdonshire.