Rubbish Roundup 16th March

Rubbish Roundup 16^th March

A councillor in Denbighshire has criticised a private litter enforcement firm for targeting smokers instead of dog owners in the fight against litter. District Enforcement handed out fines to 113 smokers in the first six weeks they were working on the behalf of the council, and councillor Rhys Thomas said that smokers were an ‘easy target’ to make money out of.

The council previously had a contract with Kingdom Security but this ended amid accusations that the firm was handing out fines unfairly and excessively, and that it was more focused on handing out fines than it was on litter prevention and education.

In response to the councillor’s concerns, the council said that tackling dog fouling was a priority, and that it was the main reason it employed the services of enforcement companies.

Next, we go to Ipswich, where a litter picking group was shocked to find 90 unused needles on one area of land in the Vernon Street area of the town. They also found some used needles and other drug paraphernalia close by. One of the needles was inside of a beer can.

The Bridge Ward Wombles made the shocking discovery during their first ever litter pick on the 8^th March. Jason Alexander organises litter picks in the town and he said that it was the biggest stash of needles he had ever found. He said the group was appalled and added that it showed the extent of the drug problem in the town.

Mr. Alexander said that there are many families with children and pets living in the area and they could easily have been harmed by the needles. The needles were put in a sharps bin and were disposed of by Ipswich Borough Council.

If you live in the Ipswich area and you see any drugs paraphernalia, the council asks that you report it immediately to the Cleaner Ipswich Hotline on 01473 433000.

If you live in South Lanarkshire, you might just see the council’s latest litter fighting recruit in action when you’re going about your day; enter the Glutton Machine!

The machine is a compact and 100% electric waste vacuum cleaner and it manages to reach the places that other street cleaning apparatus just can’t reach, like the gaps between paving stones and at kerbsides.

Smoking litter is a common problem in the area, especially in the town centre, but it’s no problem for the glutton machine which sucks litter up through a nozzle and collects it in a bag that’s stationed at the back of the machine.

The Glutton Machine is not cheap, each one costs £16,000 and South Lanarkshire has two. But the council is convinced that the machines will make a huge difference to the cleanliness of the town. A local councillor said he has tried one of the machines out for himself recently and was surprised at how much waste it picked up. He added that in an ideal world, people wouldn’t drop litter but there’s a minority who still think it’s acceptable to drop litter on the street.

To report problems with litter in South Lanarkshire, visit the council’s website.

Image courtesy of South Lanarkshire Council

And finally, we head to Swindon, where we have the happy news that a big business is taking responsibility for tackling litter in the area they operate in.

Costa Coffee stores in Swindon are set to start hosting their own litter picks. The coffee giant is asking customers which areas of the town need cleaning up the most and it hopes to organise a clean-up between March 20^th and April 13^th.

One of the chain’s store managers said that Costa works hard to support people and the planet, and that it always tries to reduce waste, find new ways to recycle, and is committed to tackling litter in the communities it operates in.

If you live in Swindon, you can suggest an area for Costa to clean up by emailing the news desk of the local paper at newsdesk@swindonadvertiser.co.uk