Meet Lilly, The 9-Year-Old Girl Who Picks Up Plastic Waste In Her Community
Lilly is not your average 9-year-old girl. She is originally from London, England and moved to the Netherlands a few years ago. As an avid animal lover, she is on a mission to prevent plastic pollution from harming animals. “When I was learning to count in Dutch, I counted 91 pieces of plastic [that I picked up] and I thought should I be happy or mad or sad about this?”
Not everyone is as passionate as the environment as Lilly is, for those who don’t see plastic pollution as a pressing issue, Lilly has one question. “Have they ever seen the way animals suffer when they eat this plastic?” she says.
Lilly is Youth Ambassador for the Plastic Pollution Coalition and Child Ambassador for HOW Global, a charity organization that brings water to forgotten children. With the full support of her family, she has also founded Lilly’s plastic pickup, an initiative that raises awareness about plastic pollution. She has already organised several cleanups in her community, recruiting friends and neighbours to help her with her mission. “I’m trying to do something to convince my friends to save the entire planet!” she explains. In addition, she has also asked her local McDonald’s to switch to paper straws and lids, and even persuaded a car company to stop releasing balloons. “One time we saw a picture of a baby puffin wrapped around in balloons and it made me very cross.”
“My real inspiration is grandpa because he loves the environment and does nature lessons at my school,” says Lilly. “I love my family because they support what I do. A little thing like picking up plastic can make a big difference!”
Lilly’s advice is simple:
- Spot it
- Pick it up
- Put it in the bin
So, what are you waiting for? You can do your bit for the environment by picking up rubbish in your community today.
Image Credit: Lillys Plastic Pickup
Written by: Fattima Mahdi
Fattima Mahdi is a author, mentor, lyricist and professional roller-skater. She uses both her love for writing and music to address socio-political issues prevalent in society today. She is also the proud author of Love Don’t Come Easy. Read More stories by Fattima Mahdi
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