Volunteers from Willmott Dixon's Hitchin office and Mitsubishi Electric's Hatfield base joined forces for a clean-up as part of Plastic Free July.

The team of 25 targeted the Dell on Windmill Hill, Hitchin, amassing more than 20kg of rubbish, including recyclables and non-recyclables.

Natalie Sidey, social value manager at Willmott Dixon, said: "We know a lot of plastic is thrown away, but we were surprised just how much we picked up in a short time."

Kindhearted Willmott Dixon and Mitsubishi volunteers clean up Hitchin's Windmill Hill

Before the volunteers headed out with their sacks, they attended a session run by Tommie Eaton, founder of BambuuBrush based in Hitchin.

He spoke to the group about the global impact of plastic pollution, the circular economy and how everyone can take steps to reduce the impact on the environment.

Natalie said: "It was very interesting to learn more about how we can all play a part in cutting plastic from our lives.

"Sustainability is at the very heart of what we do at Willmott Dixon and always has been. We are now three years into our latest Now or Never sustainability strategy that sets us ambitious targets to achieve by 2030.

"A better planet is one of the themes of our strategy, so learning what else we can do to help, as well as being proactive in helping clean up in our community supports our aims."

Mitsubishi Electric's sustainability and construction manager Dan Smith echoed the drive for a more sustainable approach.

"We realise that we can all make a greater impact through joint initiatives with like-minded businesses and this event with Willmott Dixon shows how a little collective effort can have a dramatic effect," he said.

Mr Smith continted by saying: "Society must move closer to a circular economy, where waste is cut to an absolute minimum and everything is reused and recycled, so that we make positive changes for the better."

For further information about Willmott Dixon, visit willmottdixon.co.uk