CLEANER BROUGHTON STARTS CLOSE TO HOME

Submitted by Editor on Sun, 20/04/2014 - 08:32

After the Spurtle's recent investigation into rubbish problems in Broughton, I feel compelled to write about it further (Breaking news, 9.4.14). Broughton’s rubbish woes seem to go from rubbish to … well more rubbish, and once you point out one problem a dozen more will come to light.

I see it as two separate issues. The first is personal attitudes. Obviously, some people find it acceptable to litter the streets by fly-tipping or by leaving bags and boxes lying next to bins. This stupidity should not be contagious and if residents notice that someone has fly-tipped in the area they should contact the local authorities. Recently, local residents made the problems known by tweeting the Council, and because it was then out there in the public realm the Council seemed to act on the problem fairly quickly.

The second issue I see is how the Council need to communicate the various resources that we have at our disposal. How many residents know that if you want to order recycling materials – such as boxes, rain covers, bags etc. – you can do so by visiting the Council's website and ordering directly? Also you can go to your local library where they have a limited amount of supplies.

I’m lucky enough to be able to drive to my local recycling centre if I want to get rid of bulky items, and I frequently use local charity shops and charity collections if I think items can be reused. If bulky items are in good condition, many charity shops will come and collect them free of charge. Even if you don't have a car, you can arrange for special uplifts from the Council. Although you have to pay for the privilege of getting rid of 6 large items, it works out at £21 which is £3.50 per item. It’s not ideal but it’s better than fly-tipping, isn’t it?

We can constantly blame the Council for not providing us with big enough bins or frequent enough bin collections, and in some cases that blame is reasonable, but there are resources at our disposal which are paid for through Council Tax but which many people don't make use of. I'd like to see the Council communicating better about these. There could be as a mass mail-out to residents or communication sent out with Council Tax bills or annual electoral roll enquiries.

This may not be a solution to fly-tipping, and I am aware that many locals cannot find the time to recycle, or don’t have the space to store equipment or can’t afford special uplifts. But those of us who can and do, should lead by example.

This is my own personal call to arms. If we local residents recycle more we will reduce the waste that goes into the bins which will hopefully mean cleaner streets. I want to be proud of living in a tidy, well looked-after area. If we all use the facilities at our disposal then perhaps it will improve the quality of the area we live in.

As a community we can all help out and we can all do our own bit to help create a greener Broughton.

Do you suffer from gripes and disquiets? Please share them by email spurtle@hotmail.co.uk or Twitter @theSpurtle or direct to The Left-Handed Tea Drinker

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Broughton Spurtle Am fairly sure that's been superseded now. Red and blue boxes galore on all floors elsewhere in Bellevue nowadays.

Ella Taylor-Smith Indeed, but they've hardly advertised it