Large Quantity of Whipped Cream Canisters Found in Easterside
Over the weekend, volunteers discovered nearly 400 canisters used for squirty whipped cream dumped in a field located in Easterside.
The discovery was made by Irene McCormick, her husband Freddie McCormick, and fellow Community Champions Middlesbrough volunteer Harry Lane. They were alerted to the situation by a local shop owner during a conversation.
The volunteers counted a total of 367 canisters and transported them using a vehicle to the McCormicks' garage, where they were bagged and prepared for scrap collection.
Irene McCormick described the extent of the fly-tipping as "just absolutely shocking" and noted that it took about an hour to clear the field.
"Most of them were whipping cream canisters of various makes, we thought they had been banned.
Whoever dumped them must have gone to the field at least three times to put them all there, there were so many."
Police Response and Health Warning
Cleveland Police have requested any information from the public regarding how the canisters came to be dumped in the field. They also issued a warning about the dangers of using the propellant gas contained within the canisters, highlighting the potential health risks.
The gas, nitrous oxide, is regulated under the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, making it illegal to sell or distribute for its psychoactive effects.
Community Efforts to Combat Litter
Freddie McCormick removes the brass tops from the canisters and trades them in to raise money for charity.
He shared the origins of their volunteer work, stating:
"We started on our own in 2016 just picking litter near the hospital and now we do litter picks most days.
For a few years I kept track of how many bags we collected and in the first year we collected over 1,200 bags."
The retired couple now collaborate with Community Champions Middlesbrough and estimate they have collected more than 10,000 bags of rubbish from across the town over the past decade.
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