{"id":71660,"date":"2026-06-27T12:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/71660\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T12:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:19:16","slug":"one-womans-radio-mission-to-beat-britains-litter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/71660\/","title":{"rendered":"One woman’s radio mission to beat Britain’s litter"},"content":{"rendered":"

An 81-year-old woman is touring every BBC radio station in the country to spread the message that “we are all capable of doing our bit” to tackle littering.<\/p>\n

Retired nurse Ruth Major will be travelling from Taunton to Bristol later, encouraging people she meets along the way to pick up one piece of litter a day.<\/p>\n

Affectionately known as Rubbish Ruth, Major estimates she has collected more than 100,000 bits of rubbish since starting her campaign 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

“We have a beautiful country and it’s blighted by rubbish. I want a little bit more respect from all of us – we are better than this,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Major began her campaign after becoming “fed up” of seeing litter everywhere [Ruth Major]<\/p>\n

Major hopes to appear on all 39 BBC radio stations in England and will be navigating the arduous journey using only public transport with her free bus pass.<\/p>\n

She aims to complete the challenge within several weeks, but plans to “make the most of it”.<\/p>\n

“I’m not getting any younger unfortunately. So I decided I’d try to get the message out there as much as I can,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I just got fed up of seeing litter everywhere, looking really tatty and horrible.<\/p>\n

“Instead of moaning and saying ‘look at the state of the place, somebody should do something about that’, I thought well, why not me?”<\/p>\n

\"Ruth<\/p>\n

Major believes if people picked up just one piece of litter a day, it could “transform the whole world” [Ruth Major]<\/p>\n

Major has so far appeared on 13 local radio stations in England and regularly shares updates on social media of Rubbish Ruth’s Rambles, across the country and aboard.<\/p>\n

“Everywhere I go, I talk a load of rubbish to people in the street, on trams and trains, at airports, in pubs and restaurants, on cruise ships and in foreign lands,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I’m appealing to everybody’s better nature. If one person picks up one piece of rubbish, it’s not going to make much of a difference.<\/p>\n

“But if millions of people get on board, we can make a real change. Keep spreading the word that we are all capable of doing our bit.”<\/p>\n

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More on this story