A RESTAURANT in Reading is taking the battle against rubbish to the streets.
The KFC on Oxford Road is working to tackle the scourge of litter by taking matters into its own hands… or pickers.
It comes after the restaurant joined Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean programme as a headline partner.
The partnership saw KFC provide equipment to thousands of litter-pickers as well as new initiatives in conjunction with local councils.
KFC stores around the country took part in the Great British Spring Clean again this year, and also headed up the campaign with the tagline “don’t be a tosser.”
Team members at the branch on Oxford Road, Reading, regularly don their high-vis vests and litter pickers to remove rubbish from the store’s car park and surrounding area.
They also take a longer trip along the road to remove unwanted and unsightly litter, reducing the environmental impact of discarded items and improving the community.
Lourdes Barnes, area coach at KFC, said that programmes like the litter pick were important because: “we have a responsibility to our customers, and to everyone around us.”
She explained: “If it isn’t done, then you tend to get pests, which obviously then also affects our business.
“But we want to live in a clean environment– you don’t want people leaving litter in your back garden.”
Ms Barnes said that it also makes a huge difference for customers: “When we have our spring clean days, you can see that the customer response is always great.
“We’re part of this community, and so you need to work with others to build it.
“If we’re proactive, not just on spring clean days, that really helps everyone else.”
At the moment, she said the immediate area of the KFC store sees multiple sweeps a day, but also that the team was eager to make wider picks more frequent too.
Another member of the team said: “We have to keep it clean and tidy, look after our environment.
He said also that it was an opportunity to get out of the restaurant for a while: “It’s also good to meet others and lead by example in keeping surrounding stores and houses clean.”
