Rubbish, Rubbish Everywhere

One of the main bones of contention in Burghwallis concerns litter and fly tipping. There are others – common with just about every parish councils in the UK; Speeding, community policing and now pavement parking. The only area within the council’s structure open for immediate resolution is clearing the litter and reporting fly tipping, both work in progress.

Abbés Walk was the latest battleground with 22 bags of rubbish collected last Saturday by a team of 10 volunteers. City of Doncaster Council pitch in with the supply of litter pickers, gloves and bin bags and the prompt collection of the filled bags. But the real problem is the continuous need for this activity.

Last Saturday the litter team found somebody had ‘donated’ a wheelie bin in a ditch. This was used to put 5 bin bags of rubbish ready for collection. Ironically had it been used correctly in the first place – we wouldn’t need to have collected the rubbish!

Doncaster Council have reported back to us that the installation of covert CCTV cameras in dumping “hot spots” has resulted in a number of successful prosecutions. We obviously do not know where the cameras are, but this may be the reason why we are currently seeing less of the “mass” builders’ waste piles that used to be the case. Long may that trend continue! We have also asked the council to put up notices in the worst areas advising the dumpers that CCTV is in operation, which may also help to reduce the larger deposits.

City of Doncaster is mounting an awareness campaign “Don’t Mess With Doncaster”. This features adverts on bin lorries and ad hoarding sites announcing the threat of increased financial sanctions for offenders. If only this would work. It has the feel of Canute in the jaundiced hope it will have any impact on the tossers. Appeals to the better nature of offenders is perhaps a vain hope but this time the fines have been increased and the introduction of cameras may aid convictions.

Let’s hope the campaign will influence those who drive through the countryside chucking empty drink cans and bottles out of a moving vehicle. All roads passing through Burghwallis are ripe for rubbish donations, it’s only the dedication of local residents that mount an ongoing counteroffensive. Left alone the litter will accumulate like that adorning the entire length of the A1, especially on slip roads leading off the carriage way. Collection of this detritus on main roads requires road closure or lane restriction to effect its safe recovery.

The following bulletin has been published by the City Of Doncaster Council