Active Sussex joins forces with The Green Centre and GoodGym to boost Brighton’s green spaces

How many cigarette butts can a community collect in just 15 minutes?

Four members of the Active Sussex team – Ross Joannides, Angela Nilmadhub‑Watson, Mac Ince and Alex Bunce – headed to The Level on Tuesday, September 15, to find out, joining The Green Centre Brighton and GoodGym for a hands‑on sustainability mission.

Led by Melanie from The Green Centre, the challenge was simple: support the Green Spaces Programme by clearing as much litter as possible from one of Brighton’s busiest parks. And despite the inevitable 1pm downpour, everyone got stuck in.

A small action with a big impact

In just a quarter of an hour, every volunteer collected between 75g and 100g of cigarette butts, with Mac leading the tally.

It may seem like a small amount, but it’s a meaningful contribution to Keep Britain Tidy’s Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish Campaign.

Cigarette butts remain the UK’s most common form of litter, with an estimated 2.4 million dropped on England’s high streets at any moment.

Across the whole session, the group collected 14.54 kg of litter, sorted and processed as follows:

General waste: 7.37 kg (incinerated at Newhaven to recover energy)

Aluminium cans: 0.86 kg (weighed at Richardson’s scrap metal yard)

Plastic: 1.29 kg (recycled)

Glass: 5.02 kg (recycled)

Cigarette butts: approx. 1.25 kg (included within general waste; rounded down due to wet conditions)

These figures highlight just how much waste can accumulate in a single public space – and how much difference a coordinated community effort can make.

Alex Bunce, Marketing and Communications Officer at Active Sussex and part of the organisation’s green team, said: “We could not believe how many cigarette butts we found in a relatively small area.

“Once we also moved on to the general litter, our bags quickly became very heavy with the amount of rubbish we collected.

“We were only out for an hour and a half, yet in that short time we managed to make a real difference to a community park.

“Organising a litter pick is such a quick and simple way to help keep our green and blue areas in good condition.”

Putting our sustainability commitment into practice

Since signing our Environmental Sustainability Commitment, Active Sussex has been working to embed eco‑friendly practices across our organisation and the wider physical activity sector.

From reducing our operational impact to championing better access to quality blue and green spaces, environmental action is now a core part of our mission.

Joining this park clearance was a chance to “walk the talk” alongside partners who share our values.

By helping maintain Brighton’s green spaces, we’re supporting environments that are essential for active lifestyles – places where people can walk, run, play, meet, and connect.

Clean, safe, and welcoming outdoor spaces are vital for community wellbeing and for encouraging more people to be active.

This collaborative effort at The Level is a great example of how environmental stewardship and physical activity go hand in hand.

A shared vision for greener, more active communities

GoodGym’s model of combining movement with conservation aligns closely with our own priorities around sustainability, inclusion, and community engagement.

Working together allowed both teams to amplify their impact and demonstrate what can be achieved when local organisations unite behind a shared goal.

We’re grateful to The Green Centre and GoodGym Brighton for hosting such a purposeful session – and proud of our team for rolling up their sleeves and getting involved.

Active Sussex looks forward to joining again soon.