Rubbish!
Hackney Gazette
Walking down the street in Hackney you are in constant danger of tripping over old mattresses, armchairs or a washing machine apparently discarded in the middle of the pavement. It is frustrating. It does not look nice, and some items, such as old leaking fridges, can be downright dangerous to come into contact with. Some people will buy a kebab or fish and chips, eat half, and then simply drop the rest in the street without even attempting to aim it at a bin. It is impossible to teach young children not to drop litter when they see adults do it all the time. And it does not just look horrible. It can cause rats and disease.
Some shop keepers have succumbed to the temptation of getting cheap bin bags and leaving them to split and spill out all over the pavement. They rely on the council to collect their rubbish when they should pay to have it collected as commercial waste.
It is estimated that 177,000 tonnes of litter is dropped in London each year, the cleaning up of which costs £100m. In the latest annual survey by the Greater London authority, 44% of those polled said they saw the litter problem as a priority for improving the environment. So why are we still littering?
I will concede that in the past we have experienced problems with the collection of rubbish in the Borough. However, the service has improved. For instance Hackney Council has in place a highly efficient bulk refuse collection service. They will collect 5 bulky items 4 times a year free of charge. They will collect old household items and, as an added feel-good bonus, if the items are in good condition they will even make sure they are donated to charity and recycled. All you need to do is ring 0208 356 6688. I know I have used the service myself
The environment is one of the most important policy issues on the national and international political agendas. There is much talk of climatic change and the irreversible adverse consequences. It is all very scientific and it can be difficult to see how we as individuals can make a difference. However, there is also a micro environment right here on our streets that we all have a direct responsibility for. If we want to make positive changes to better our environment globally we must start to act locally.
I would like to avoid a situation where we have to take up London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone’s plans to increase on-the-spot fines for littering. It would cost £50 to drop a single cigarette butt. However, what the Mayor’s scheme does highlight is that anti-social behaviour comes in many guises. Littering is an anti-social offence and should be treated as such.
Sadly, whilst Hackney Council’s service has improved, people’s attitudes haven’t. The problem is that, whilst acknowledging that littering is a problem, many of us are also in denial about our own personal responsibility and look to local services to clean the streets. If we are serious about cleaning up our local environment we really must start taking responsibility individually to achieve collectively. There is no excuse for not tidying up our act!
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