A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl who lives near York has taken up a passion for litter picking as she "doesn't want the world to be unhappy".
Erica Reynolds, who lives in the West Lilling area, was on a walk with her family and their dog, Lucie, when she noticed a large amount of litter along their route.
Erica told her family she was "very cross" about this and that she wanted to go back and clear it away. So, they borrowed a litter picker from a friend and headed off in the dark with head torches.
Erica's mum, Jane Reynolds, said: "To have such an awareness of this at such a young age is incredible. I am super proud of her, one for noticing but most of all for taking action. All of us will notice things like this but not all of us will do something about it.
"It’s sad that a four-year-old has to pick up adults' litter in the beautiful countryside, such as coffee cups, McDonald’s cups, wrappers and balloon remnants."
Erica told her mum that she wanted to pick up litter because "doesn't want the world to be unhappy".
The youngster said: "It’s not good for our environment if people throw it everywhere, they need to have respect for our world.
“When I see litter thrown around it makes it look messy and dirty and stinky. The birds, foxes, rabbits and other animals might think there’s food in the rubbish and get stuck or eat it. That will make them sick. Me picking up other people’s rubbish will help the environment.
"If people see me pick up the litter they might copy me. If one person copies me then that’s good, if two people copy me then that’s even 'gooder' and if 10 people copy me that’s really, really good.
"If they keep throwing it, it’s not kind to the world and it’s not kind to me because I want to chill out at the weekend and not have to pick up their rubbish."
At Erica's school in Sutton on Forest, one of their core values is to show "dignity and respect towards the beliefs of others and our environment” - and Erica's mum said she has demonstrated her understanding of this with her litter picking.
Jane added: "We hope that sharing this story might influence others to do the same and help the environment or take their rubbish home. She has influenced her nine-year-old brother - and they both enjoyed their late-night litter picking adventure, we have found a spot for next weekend already.
"Sheriff Hutton road is the next stop for her to pick up an unbelievable amount of litter which she noticed on the way home in the car."
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