South Woodford 'litter-picking hero', 3, up for award

Three-year-old Tiago Piccaro has been named as a nominee for the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club's Young Citizen Award for his litter picking efforts in Redbridge. 

Tiago first started litter picking in March 2023, just a month after his third birthday after his mum saw that they could borrow litter pickers from Redbridge Council in a newsletter. 

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Elisa, Tiago's mum, said: "I asked him if he was interested after showing him the
litter pickers.

"He was happy as he loves all kinds of tools, so for him it was another toy and another game that we could play together.

Tiago and his mum usually collect between two and three bags of rubbish each time they go out (Image: Elisa Piccaro)

"The council agreed that we could borrow the litter pickers until the end of the summer, so we made it a weekend activity, especially early morning on Saturday or Sunday when we were already up early."

The pair would litter pick in South Woodford near their home and do a loop before disposing of the rubbish they had found. 

Tiago is very dedicated to his work, even litter picking in Italy whilst visiting family. 

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Elisa said: "I feel proud of Tiago, especially the way he brings the problem up to me in his own words. He says people that throw rubbish on the road are naughty, and that rubbish should be stored in the bins.

"This means a lot to me. As a mother I want to pass on important values to my son, and the climate and environment are definitely a priority to make our
lives better."

Tiago pointing out rubbish on their walks (Image: Elisa Piccaro)

Elisa has just bought Tiago a brand new litter picker of his own so the pair can continue their weekend tradition after moving to South Ealing. 

She said: "In the last week or so since moving here he has been commenting on the amount of rubbish he sees on the pavements on the way to the nursery.

"So he definitely is aware of the problem and eager to clean the neighbourhood.

"I feel so proud of Tiago and the way he finds rewarding an activity such as litter picking.

"The nomination is a great recognition and hopefully will serve as inspiration to other families."

He is very committed to the cause and will soon have a litter-picker for himself! (Image: Elisa Piccaro)

Tiago's litter picking has led to him being dubbed as "our little litter picking hero" by Redbridge Council. 

The award recognises the outstanding achievements of young people in the borough aged 25 and under.