A TEENAGER has set about cleaning up Swindon's streets with a TikTok-inspired litter picking challenge.
Alexandria Hayes, 16, donned her gloves with the aim of collecting at least one piece of rubbish for 100 days after watching a short video on the social networking platform.
The actress, model and make-up artist started her challenge on September 18 and will finish it by the end of the year.
She said: “I saw someone on TikTok, who was doing it for 365 days and I thought, ‘well I don’t really want to commit to a year, but I can do 100 days’.
“I’ll give 100 days a go and then I’ll see if I like it and continue.
“I’m doing good, in the first week I picked up 91 pieces of trash and 155 overall, and it’s a nice achievement for me.”
Alexandria is shocked by the amount of litter she finds in play parks.
She said: “I found bottles, cans of coke that were only half-drank, it felt like such a waste.
“And it seems so dangerous. I have younger siblings, they go play in the park all the time and it terrifies me to think that they can be playing and all of the sudden cut themselves on a can because someone can’t be bothered to throw it in the bin.”
Originally from Canada, Alexandria and her family moved to Swindon a year ago.
She said: “I go to different places. I tend to go to the park on Quarry Road, but I like to explore.
"This park was probably the dirtiest place I’ve been to since I started this challenge, it’s scary to me.”
She added: “I’m very passionate about the environment and I’m trying to save the world, not necessarily eliminate plastic, but just reduce it. Reduce the one-time use plastic.
“I want to see people taking more responsibility for the trash that is everywhere.
“If you are on the street and pick up one piece of rubbish, it does make a difference.”
The home-schooled girl is posting a video every day on her Instagram account, showing her followers what she has found on the streets.
She said: “I think I’ll carry on after I finish this challenge.
“It’s a good reason for me to get out the house because I think I’d be staying in the house all day, which isn’t the best thing to do.
"It makes me get up and go out of the house.”
Alexandria encourages people in Swindon to join her and clean the streets.
To follow Alexandria’s journey, follow her at www.instagram.com/adfhayes/
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