The campaign was supported by the Mirror and backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, Labour MPs Mary Creagh and Angela Rayner, and celebrities including Springwatch presenter Megan McCubbin.
Community and faith-based groups played a significant role. A group of Rainbows, Brownies and Guides from Girlguiding Kidderminster collected 7,788 pieces of rubbish, including items dating back to 2002. According to Daily Mirror - UK News, founder Karen Blanchfield described the girls' enthusiasm and pride in their achievement. Other volunteers included mosques Karimia Institute, Fiveways Centre (Masjid Al-QUBA Sherwood) and Green Academy Trust, part of the Nottingham Council of Mosques’ drive to tackle litter. The 'Bisma & Bilal Bin it' initiative organised volunteer litter picks during Ramadan. Judi Herman and her dog Biba, known as the Litter Hound, litter picked around her local synagogue in Northwood, north west London. According to Daily Mirror - UK News, Herman described how she has been litter picking almost daily since her husband bought her a litter picker for their anniversary.
I couldn't be prouder. The girls threw themselves into it with such enthusiasm and care. Seeing them come back with bags full of litter and huge smiles was a really special moment. You could see how proud they were of what they'd achieved together.
Individual initiatives also emerged. Flora Blathwayt started a small business called Washed Up Cards, making cards from rubbish collected from the Thames. According to Daily Mirror - UK News, Blathwayt described how she began making cards for her sister and now sells them. Mark Rowlands set up a British litter picking group in 2024 with an aim of collecting one million bags of litter, which has grown into a grassroots movement. The specific target date for the million-bag goal and the total number of bags collected so far have not been disclosed.