Meaning & use
litter picking
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The activity of collecting and removing rubbish that people have dropped in public places.
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural, and no 'a' before it. Say 'litter picking is fun,' not 'a litter picking.'
Patterns
- go litter picking
- do some litter picking
- a litter-picking event
Every Saturday morning, a group of neighbors goes litter picking in the park.
Litter picking along the riverbank took us three hours.
The school organized a litter-picking day to clean up the playground.
Common combinations
- go litter picking
- We often go litter picking on the beach after a storm.
- litter-picking session
- The council runs a litter-picking session every month.
- litter-picking equipment
- You'll need gloves and a bag as litter-picking equipment.
- volunteer for litter picking
- She volunteered for litter picking at the community event.
Synonyms and how they differ
- litter collection
- More formal and often refers to an organized service rather than a voluntary activity.
- cleanup
- A broader term that can include removing other kinds of mess, not just dropped litter.
Word family
- litter picker noun
- A person who picks up litter, or a tool with a long handle used for picking up litter.
- litter noun
- Small pieces of rubbish left in a public place.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'litter picking' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Litter picking' is uncountable, so it does not take 'a' or a plural form, and it cannot be used as a countable noun for a person. Option 1 is correct because it uses the phrase as an uncountable subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “litter picking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.