Rubbish Roundup 5th August

Rubbish Roundup 5^th August

Edinburgh Council is set to double the amount of street cleaners working during the Edinburgh Festival this month. Forty more staff will boost the ranks of the 37 existing staff to keep on top of the extra litter from visitors and revellers.

Last year, the council was criticised for not doing enough to keep the streets clean, and there were reports of overflowing bins and dumped rubbish that was called ‘an embarrassment to the capital.’

This time around, street cleaning crews will be working around the clock to clear litter, empty bins, and clear away any dumped rubbish. Day time staff will be assisted by a night crew who will empty bins near pubs, clubs, and fast food outlets while wardens will patrol to discourage people from dropping litter and fly-tipping.

A local councillor said that Edinburgh was getting ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and added that this would put a big pressure on resources.

The council is also planning to tackle the litter problem in a more light-hearted way. It’s going to display some cheesy jokes on 30 bins in the busiest Edinburgh Fringe areas. It said the jokes are intended to make people laugh as well as reminding them about the importance of keeping Edinburgh tidy.

A group of keen runners from High Wycombe took part in a voluntary litter picking session this week. Members of the ‘Your Pace or Mine Running Club’, which was founded in July 2017, put on hi-vis vests and red protective gloves, and went on a 150 minute trek, picking up litter along the way.

One of the founders said the group wants to do more than just running. He said that even though running is great exercise, and is good for mental health, he realises not everyone wants to run constantly, so that’s why they added the litter picking element.

During the litter pick, the group found some rather interesting rubbish from confetti, to unopened bottles of alcohol, a mouthguard, and a DVD player. By the end of the 150 minute session, the runners had filled up nine refuse bags, and they say they hope to hold a similar event again in the future.

As part of a campaign against plastic pollution, children of all ages flocked to the Aberdeen coast to pick up litter and to learn about the different types of litter that end up strewn along the coastline. Among the litter that was found was plastic, old ropes, crisp packets, and tin cans.

The litter pick was organised by Scottish Water and Aberdeen FC Community Trust. A spokesman for the Trust said that it wanted to get young people involved in different activities over the summer. He added that it was a great opportunity for them to get outside, be active, and learn about the impact that plastic is having on beaches and waterways.

The day ended with the children having a kickabout on the newly spruced up beach. Aberdeen City Council provided litter picking equipment for the event and also collected the litter afterwards.