Rubbish Roundup 7th August

Rubbish Roundup 7^th August

A team of community ambassadors were appointed by a college in Sheffield this year, to help out in their local area and to act as role models for other young people. One of their main tasks has been to keep the college and the surrounding areas free from litter. They were presented with community awards at the town hall, and were invited to attend the Houses of Parliament to celebrate the Great British Spring Clean. The team say that they have a great sense of pride in knowing that they are doing their bit for their local community and that people appreciate their efforts.

Read more at: http://www.thestar.co.uk/our-towns-and-cities/sheffield/litter-picking-sheffield-students-clean-up-at-awards-ceremony-1-8679400

Residents who live near an Asda store in Leicester have been angered by the company’s failure to clear up a pile of rubbish which has been building up for months next to it.

The waste has built up on a grass verge and in undergrowth on land which is set to be developed into a National Space Park by the University of Leicester. There is food packaging, plastic bags, Asda receipts, and plastic gloves among the waste, which residents say wasn’t there prior to the opening of the store.

Residents say that they understand that the land does not belong to Asda, but they believe that nevertheless, the supermarket should do something to clear it up. Those who have complained say that they have had emailed Asda on a number of occasions and have received a response saying that the rubbish will be cleared; then nothing happens. This angered residents so much that they set up a Facebook page called ‘Asda Abbey Lane Litter Plague’ where they began posting videos of the rubbish.

This resulted in Asda carrying out a litter pick and promising that the land will be kept clear in the future.

A spokesman for Asda said that they have reminded customers to use bins provided in the car park and in their petrol station. They acknowledge that while the land doesn’t belong to them, that they want to do the right thing and keep it tidy.

Swansea’s seafront is a big attraction for many visitors, however, the growing amount of litter left on its beaches is starting to spoil its natural beauty.

Piles of rubbish were left on the beach at Barry Island after one of the warmest weekends of the year. Residents say that rubbish is left on the beach almost on a daily basis, and that there aren’t enough bins to cope with the amount of litter.

Swansea Council litter pickers had to clear thousands of empty beer bottles, discarded barbecues, and other waste such as food wrappers and nappies after the influx of visitors.

Residents have even been cleaning the beaches themselves.

The council and residents blame a lack of concern for the litter problem, and a lack of education for the problem. They say that the attitude is that someone else will pick it up.

The council have urged people to take their rubbish home if the bins are full, and they have reminded people of the problems that discarding litter such as plastic can pose for the environment and for wildlife.