Welcome to Trash Free Trails'
DIO Toolkit
A simple series of steps we've developed to enable you to deliver safe, effective and fun trail cleans wherever you are! Adapt it to suit your needs, check back in later and see you out there!
What's included?
We believe we already have everything we need in our head, hands and hearts, so we're here to provide the tangible pieces of tools, inspiration and information you need to organise a trail clean of your own!
This is made possible by our Strategic Partners:
One of the most common questions we get at Trash Free Trails, is 'how can I help?'
Firstly, it's great that you want to get stuck in! This is exactly what we need. We are trying to fill in an ever evolving jigsaw puzzle on the 'State of Our Trails', and each bit of data we receive from one of you cleaning a trail is another puzzle piece to the board!
Trail cleaning can be done solo or in a group, and so this Toolkit breaks down the steps to make this as fun and accessible as possible.
How this Toolkit Helps
To view all of these steps on the go, download our cheat sheet here:
Our Inspiration
Our A-TEAM are an eclectic mix of adventurers from all walks of life, each bringing their own personal passion to their local trails as well as to our mission. They are the heart and soul of our organisation. Without them, we couldn’t, shouldn’t and wouldn’t exist. Want to learn from the people who do it best?
"I would never have guessed I'd be hosting a ride at Kendal Mountain Festival this time last year so feeling super buzzed about it!"
Hari Milburn, A-TEAMer and Founder of Trash Cat
How we Do It Ourselves
These 9 steps below are the founding mantra for us. We have carefully developed them to mirror the steps of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, with the idea that following these steps improves your nature connection and overall wellbeing. This is how we Do It Ourselves.
Recognise
On your next ride, run or roam, do a recce - think what’s out there? What needs to be done? Recognise your responsibility!
Route
Where are you going? How far? Any special highlights to look out for? Plan your ‘rubbish’ route on Komoot - Don’t forget to add us in as participants :)
Rally
Rally our community! Share your ‘rubbish’ route & plans with us on social media, tell your fam, your friends, your neighbours cat, if they’ll listen.
Stage 1: Planning
Recognise
On your next ride, run or roam, do a recce - think what’s out there? What needs to be done? Recognise your responsibility!
Route
Where are you going? How far? Any special highlights to look out for? Plan your ‘rubbish’ route on Komoot - Don’t forget to add us in as participants :)
Rally
Rally our community! Share your ‘rubbish’ route & plans with us on social media, tell your fam, your friends, your neighbours cat, if they’ll listen.
Stage 2: Removing
Remove
You guessed it, get out there and remove what you can! Whether it's a handful or full bin bags, every piece of single-use pollution that's removed will make a difference.
What did you find? How did it feel? Jot this kind of thing, and anything else interesting about your trail clean down. Use a Trail Bandit bingo card to tally your finds!
Have a look through your haul, sort it into lovely little piles of recyclable goodness, and make sure it ends up where it should have been to start off with - a bin!
Stage 3: Reporting
Report
Log your finds in the State of Our Trails Report HERE. Then tell everyone and share your trail clean far and wide - shout it from the rooftops. Tag us on Instagram @trashfreetrails.
This might be the most important, to reward yourself for what you’ve done. It’s ok for it to be stressful and tiring, as well as satisfying and enjoyable. Go for a ride, a run or a roam with no real aim. Just do you. Or eat some cake?
Keep it going! Pay it forward, encouraging others to do the same. You could pledge to return to your rubbish route weekly, monthly, or whatever’s good for you. It’s your trails, your wild places, your community. They need you.
Ready to get started?
Pick your group size and go admin crazy! This is our universal source of all the digital bits you might need when doing a Trail Clean of any shape or form. From logos to risk assessments, public liability insurance, and even local press release guidelines if you need them, it's all here. These links will redirect you to a Google Drive folder, hope you enjoyed your stay here.
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JUST YOU?
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If it's a handful, pocketful or bin bags full, it all makes a difference to the State of Our Trails. One person, one trail at a time!
Want to go one step further?
These Are My Trails is a new campaign that aims to inspire people to become stewards of their local trails, take environmental ownership and action! Through using theory based behaviour change design, TFT are able to have presence on the trail without having to be there in person, tackling the problem of single-use pollution head on with These Are My Trails.