Dr Sherilyn MacGregor from the Sustainable Consumption Institute and Politics Department has been working in collaboration with a local environmental group called Upping It. Since March 2017, she has led a neighbourhood-level study of the problem of litter in Moss Side, producing a report that has relevance for policy makers and for activists trying to improve the quality of the local environment. As part of the project, a tour of the green alleys in Moss Side was held in October in partnership with Upping It and the ‘urban naturalists’ at the Manchester Museum (see photo).

Upping It has been using alley greening as a way to reduce fly-tipping and build community bonds in a highly transient area since 2015. Another outcome of the collaboration is the co-development of an interactive public event and exhibition called ‘A Rubbish Night at the Museum’ that will be held in the Museum on 19-22 April, coinciding with Earth Day. This event will showcase research and activism around waste and recycling in Greater Manchester, and will involve local artists, students, activists and staff at the Museum. Funding for these activities has come from an Higher Education Investment Fund eco-innovation voucher, the Humanities Engaging our Communities fund and from the Sustainable Consumption Institute.