Reach, a UK and Ireland commercial news publisher, and environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy have announced the record-breaking results of their latest media partnership for the 2026 Great British Spring Clean.
With 30 million tonnes of rubbish dropped in the UK every year, costing taxpayers £1 billion to clean up, littering remains a crisis affecting the health and pride of local communities, says Reach. Keep Britain Tidy partnered with Reach to flip the script. Instead of lecturing, the campaign made it “Cool to Care,” transforming litter picking into a badge of honour and a celebrated national movement.
Treating the campaign as it would a major national news event, Reach says it co-ordinated media reach across print, digital, and social platforms. This was backed by hyper-local activation via regional titles and the InYourArea digital community platform, using targeted digital ads to drive volunteer and school sign-ups.
Key campaign results according to Reach:
- Mobilised over half a million ‘Litter Heroes’ (585,000) who pledged 451,800 bags of rubbish
- Generated 2,051 media clips, with 11,430 mentions across social media
- Inspired the next generation by engaging 265,984 school pupils, a surge of over 100,000 young people compared to previous campaigns
- Secured support from 518 local councils along with 50 MPs and 40 elected members, culminating in a high-profile call-to-action from the then Prime Minister, who joined a litter pick in his own constituency, and an awards ceremony at Westminster with Minister for Nature Mary Creagh CBE
The multi-channel strategy humanised the cause by sharing inspiring real-life stories, such as Georgie-May Tearle, who fought breast cancer and turned to litter picking as part of her recovery. The campaign kicked off with national media front-page coverage in The Mirror, featuring campaign ambassador Julia Bradbury.
Reach staff also utilised corporate volunteer days for local litter picks alongside community groups, the publisher continued.
Helen Bingham, director of communications, Keep Britain Tidy, said: "The REACH team understands not only our brief, they are indeed a dream to work with… this partnership has helped us articulate the good news story behind the issue; the volunteers rolling up their sleeves and setting an example for the rest of the country, the large-scale support from businesses and community organisations, and the incredible impact we make – nearly half a million bags of litter collected in 2026!."
Guy Keeble, national direct business lead at Reach, commented: “As a champion for the people and their communities, Reach partnered with Keep Britain Tidy on this initiative to bridge the gap between national news and local action on the litter crisis. From Print and Pixel to Participation - we secured engagement at national and local levels, in government and in schools. This campaign hasn’t just cleaned up the country today, but changed habits for tomorrow.
“The results highlight the unique capability of REACH’s portfolio to blend national scale with trusted, hyper-local influence, proving that co-branded, purpose-driven media partnerships can deliver both massive commercial reach and community value.
“By framing the environmental crisis through a community-first lens, the partnership demonstrated how content-led marketing can shift public sentiment and drive measurable physical action.”
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