SUSTAINABLE living shop owner Keith Hunt has launched an initiative to encourage people across the country to keep their towns tidy, starting in Minehead.

Mr Hunt, who runs the award-winning Our Precious Earth, in Wellington Square, Minehead, thought of the idea during one his weekly litter picks around the town.

He found he spent so long picking up litter from in front of local businesses that he did not have time left to cover other areas of the town.

So, Mr Hunt decided to approach some of the local businesses and organisations in Minehead to ask if they would help tidy the areas in front of of their premises, which some were already doing each morning, and many agreed to take up the idea going forward.

Now, Mr Hunt has launched his community programme nationally to improve the cleanliness, appearance, and environmental sustainability of both urban and rural areas.

He hopes to encourage partnerships between businesses, local organisations, schools, and residents, focusing not only on cleaning efforts but also on improving the overall quality of life.

Our Precious Earth's Keith Hunt litter picking on Minehead beach.
Our Precious Earth's Keith Hunt litter picking on Minehead beach. ( )

Mr Hunt said: “Small businesses are essential for the success of our high streets and, by encouraging them to take charge of their local environment and cleanliness of the area, this makes the area more inviting to everybody.

“Minehead Town Council are keen to support this idea and there has already been interest in other towns across the country who love the idea.”

Each business signing up to the ‘TidyTowns.UK (Minehead)’ scheme will receive a personalised certificate and door/window sticker to show their commitment to help keep their local area tidy.

Mr Hunt will also loan or sell them a litter picker made from traceable recovered ocean waste by Waterhaul, in Cornwall, which is an official clean up partner of the scheme.

He carried out his first litter pick on Dunster Beach in 1971 after reading a Keep Britain Tidy article and over the years he has continued to care for the environment.

In 2017, Mr Hunt was chosen as one of the first 100 Keep Britain Tidy ‘Litter Heroes Ambassadors’ and began organising litter pick events across his local area.

It was seeing the growing problem of plastic litter which gave him the idea to open his shop Our Precious Earth in 2023, which has been inspiring more people to make simple switches to eco-friendly alternatives.

Everything Mr Hunt sells is ethically sourced and either plastic free or the most eco-friendly packaging available for each product.

Our Precious Earth has won a slew of awards, including being named by Small Business Britain as one of the country’s top 100 small businesses in 2023.

It was also a winner of former BBC Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis’ Small Business Sunday.

Last year, it was a finalist in the Somerset Business Awards 2024 ‘Start-Up of the Year’ category and Biz Bubble’s ‘Best New Biz on the Block’ award.

Anybody who wants to know more about the scheme should email Mr Hunt at [email protected].