Rubbish in parks

[JohnL]

You're supposed to take it home with you :)

I remember the below mind - very well - we lost all our large public bins. But I like the idea of smart bins "Your rubbish is refused and your name referred to the auhorities"

Small quote as it's paywalled - author then looks at what sort of bins we vould use.

?It?s because of the IRA,? I said, explaining that three decades ago, British security forces removed most metal bins in stations and the City of London because the IRA kept planting bombs in them. In 1991, for example, a bomb exploded in a bin in Victoria station, injuring commuters as the metal turned into shrapnel."

https://www.ft.com/content/3fa0c1ae-7f84-11e6-bc52-0c7211ef3198

[AylwardS]

Singalto I agree If you can carry the full bottle of drink / food in the package why can?t you carry the empties home. The empties are more likely to be recyclable if you take them home and clean them - doesn?t food waste contaminate recycling? I saw groups with tables and chairs yesterday, even someone who?d put tables on a trolley and was setting up in Peckham Rye Park. How many take those kind of things home and leave empties?

Don?tbesilly The odd can, not a problem, though illegal and the person dropping it could get a Penalty. The problem comes when multiple people / groups think like that. Yes its not difficult to pick up what?s left but someone has to pay - the person collecting what?s left behind in a park is employed by the Council so if you pay tax you are paying for that. Whatever that costs it stops that person doing something else or the money being spent elsewhere. I?m sure everyone reading this could think of somewhere else the Council could spend that money. The larger bins at Clapham Common were overflowing and had rubbish left next to them according to media reports, with pictures, in mid-June.

A bit like Michael Gove saying the wearing of masks in shops shouldn?t be mandatory but should be left to people?s common sense and its courtesy to wear them in shops. Not everyone will see that as common sense or a way of showing courtesy. I remember my dad saying once that before drink driving laws came in people didn?t think twice about taking the car out and having a few drinks, now its pretty standard that there?s a designated driver.

Unfortunately I don?t think more / larger bins will solve the problem. Improve it yes. Seems to me we need extra bins alongside more enforcement to make people think until it becomes second nature to most people just as not drinking and driving or putting your seatbelt on when you get in a car.

[Annie5]

dontbesilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There is always going to be rubbish in parks lets

> face it, getting all annoyed at people for leaving

> the odd beer can on the grass because they are too

> drunk (we all do this form time to time) to be

> bothered to find a bin is not the answer- putting

> big bins in the park is the solution.

>

> On Clapham Common they have massive bins

> everywhere you look, and people use them. Whereas

> Peckham Rye has the same amount of bins that are

> there all year round and always seem to be full.

> When they are full, i think its perfectly fine to

> dump your rubbish on the floor beside the bin, as

> at least you have made some effort. Where else is

> it supposed to go?

You are supposed to take it home with you ....... that is what the rest of us do .....

[dontbesilly]

saying you 'should take it home with you' is rubbish, if youll excuse the pun!

Parks are maintained with tax payers money and as such ought to have suitable facilites- including bins. It is not the publics fault if the bins are too full or not getting emptied enough. Im not carrying home a load of crap just because our council is not running its leisure department properly- its going in the bin or on the floor beside the bin.

[cwjlawrence]

Hi dontbesilly,

Unfortunately, leaving rubbish next to bins is a non-starter because of foxes that are scavenging for food overnight - I visit the parks early in the morning and it's very sad to see the rubbish spread out over a wide area where foxes have done their work. We are lucky that our parks stay open late into the evening which precludes them being emptied between the last rubbish being dumped and it getting dark.

I disagree with your statement that it's not the "public's fault" - it is 100% an individual's choice of whether they litter or not. If the bins are full then take your rubbish home please.

Where I do absolutely agree with you is that the recycling facilities in each of the parks locally are pretty much non-existent and therefore peoples' waste that could be recycled is being sent to landfill or even worse just spread around our parks.

Therefore, I would advocate:

1. All parks to have sufficient recycling bins

2. Clear signage throughout the park ordering people to sort their rubbish and recycle. If the bins are full then it should be clear that people need to take it home with them.

The inner eco-warrior in me does question why it is necessary to produce any rubbish from a picnic, our throwaway society is so depressing - but I'm not going to go there!

I will write to the council today to advocate for proper recycling facilities in each of the Southwark parks. If you agree with my suggestions, perhaps you could do the same and we could actually make a change. Either that or my mornings will continue to be spent picking up other peoples' rubbish, which is a pretty depressing prospect!

[rachp]

Don'tbesilly is quite clearly a troll- I wouldn't engage with their comments.

[rachp]

I think that more recycling bins are a great idea but won't solve the problem of irresponsble/drunk people dumping litter on the ground- that's asking them to do more, not less.

wjlawrence Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi dontbesilly,

>

> Unfortunately, leaving rubbish next to bins is a

> non-starter because of foxes that are scavenging

> for food overnight - I visit the parks early in

> the morning and it's very sad to see the rubbish

> spread out over a wide area where foxes have done

> their work. We are lucky that our parks stay

> open late into the evening which precludes them

> being emptied between the last rubbish being

> dumped and it getting dark.

>

> I disagree with your statement that it's not the

> "public's fault" - it is 100% an individual's

> choice of whether they litter or not. If the bins

> are full then take your rubbish home please.

>

> Where I do absolutely agree with you is that the

> recycling facilities in each of the parks locally

> are pretty much non-existent and therefore

> peoples' waste that could be recycled is being

> sent to landfill or even worse just spread around

> our parks.

>

> Therefore, I would advocate:

>

> 1. All parks to have sufficient recycling bins

> 2. Clear signage throughout the park ordering

> people to sort their rubbish and recycle. If the

> bins are full then it should be clear that people

> need to take it home with them.

>

> The inner eco-warrior in me does question why it

> is necessary to produce any rubbish from a picnic,

> our throwaway society is so depressing - but I'm

> not going to go there!

>

> I will write to the council today to advocate for

> proper recycling facilities in each of the

> Southwark parks. If you agree with my

> suggestions, perhaps you could do the same and we

> could actually make a change. Either that or my

> mornings will continue to be spent picking up

> other peoples' rubbish, which is a pretty

> depressing prospect!

[nxjen]

rachp Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Don'tbesilly is quite clearly a troll- I wouldn't

> engage with their comments.

What makes you say that?

[rachp]

Because they are written in a way to incite a reaction from people who are upset about the disrespect that's being shown to our shared green spaces and to eachother. Who in their right mind actually thinks it's ok to leave public spaces in the kind of state they have been left in of late. It ruins the environment for all who use it, kills wildlife and pollutes our waterways, plus costs us approx 1 billion a year to deal with, not to mention diverting park staff who were presumably hired to plant flowers, care for trees etc, not spend hours clearing litter every day. And anyone who genuinely thinks the public purse is an infinite source of funding for whatever our hearts desire surely has lost the plot. And to justify the idea that people can't be bothered to carry out the same items they came in with when unprecedented numbers of people turn up expecting bin space for their picnic waste? Look at KidKrugers pictures- is that ok in the cold light of day? People do these things because they are drunk, copying other people, feeling a bit lazy etc. But defending it in writing in the cold light of day just feels like a wind-up to me.

[nxjen]

Whilst I am probably equally as horrified that our public spaces have been left in such an appalling condition recently, I do not agree that anyone who disagrees with this stand point is a troll.

?Who in their right mind actually thinks it's ok to leave public spaces in the kind of state they have been left in of late.?

Clearly a lot of people do think it?s ok

[rachp]

Ok, we can agree to disagree. I think this person enjoys winding people up.

[KidKruger]

Dontbesilly is a troll because they are winding people up on various threads, not because their posts say littering is ok.

[nxjen]

They are certainly presenting an alternative view that goes against the EDF orthodoxy and people do get wound up when they encounter disagreement. Again that does not mean they are a troll, their views could be sincerely held and they are exercising their right to express themselves, not posting just to deliberately needle others. Their views are perhaps naive but there is some truth in their point "This is a very typical sniffy response from this forum- if someone disagrees and goes against the general popular middle class consensus they are labelled a troll"

Obviously there are "genuine" trolls but to dismiss anyone who presents a different point of view as a troll is lazy and does not take the discussion further. In my view, cwjlawrence's response was the right one.

[JohnL]

Uncle has been doing that for years and years - we tend to believe his views are real and he's not trolling

(trolling to me means putting a false viewpoint/creating a character just to wind people up)

[rachp]

I think there are lots of people who would rather not live in a country blighted by litter- I don't see how this is exclusive to being middle class. The tone of the comments feel deliberately inflammatory to me,

[Penguin68]

Surely it's quite simple - if you bring stuff into a park, you should take it away with you, or, if you're lucky, dispose of it in rubbish bins provided. If they are't, or they're full, then whatever you brought your 'not yet rubbish' in, can be used to take your, 'now it's rubbish' away with you. At a time when public space is particularly vital (for those otherwise sheltering in their homes) messing it up for other people is unforgivable. I wonder if 'spot' ?50 or ?100 fines might help sharpen minds?

Enjoy public parks of course, eat or drink there, of course; but only if you're prepared to treat them properly and with respect.

[dontbesilly]

Penguin68 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Surely it's quite simple - if you bring stuff into

> a park, you should take it away with you, or, if

> you're lucky, dispose of it in rubbish bins

> provided. If they are't, or they're full, then

> whatever you brought your 'not yet rubbish' in,

> can be used to take your, 'now it's rubbish' away

> with you. At a time when public space is

> particularly vital (for those otherwise sheltering

> in their homes) messing it up for other people is

> unforgivable. I wonder if 'spot' ?50 or ?100 fines

> might help sharpen minds?

>

> Enjoy public parks of course, eat or drink there,

> of course; but only if you're prepared to treat

> them properly and with respect.

I have once been given a fine by some kind of civil enforcement officer for taking a piss in a park in Hackney.

The park was on route to another park that was hosting a music festival, and there were no provided toilets anywhere, so after a long tube journey i found a discreet spot in a park to do my business. Some fluro jacketed loser comes riding up to me on a mountain bike and dishes out a ticket- i'd have told them to do one had this brave person not worn a body camera, and i was carrying shall we say 'medication' to take at the festival, so did not want the Police getting involved.

Hackney must be very pleased with themselves that day as no doubt they milked plenty of people for ?50 on account of them not being able to provide public toilets. I wonder did these wardens dish out fines every time a dog took a piss in that park?

I'd be very annoyed if Southwark or our neighbouring boroughs started behaving in this manner, whether its due to littering or public urination.

[Sally Eva]

I think rubbish that goes in the bins is sorted by Veolia?

People who don't have any fellow feeling for their fellow citizens whom they can see are unlikely to care about the rest of the planet

cwjlawrence Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi dontbesilly,

>

> Unfortunately, leaving rubbish next to bins is a

> non-starter because of foxes that are scavenging

> for food overnight - I visit the parks early in

> the morning and it's very sad to see the rubbish

> spread out over a wide area where foxes have done

> their work. We are lucky that our parks stay

> open late into the evening which precludes them

> being emptied between the last rubbish being

> dumped and it getting dark.

>

> I disagree with your statement that it's not the

> "public's fault" - it is 100% an individual's

> choice of whether they litter or not. If the bins

> are full then take your rubbish home please.

>

> Where I do absolutely agree with you is that the

> recycling facilities in each of the parks locally

> are pretty much non-existent and therefore

> peoples' waste that could be recycled is being

> sent to landfill or even worse just spread around

> our parks.

>

> Therefore, I would advocate:

>

> 1. All parks to have sufficient recycling bins

> 2. Clear signage throughout the park ordering

> people to sort their rubbish and recycle. If the

> bins are full then it should be clear that people

> need to take it home with them.

>

> The inner eco-warrior in me does question why it

> is necessary to produce any rubbish from a picnic,

> our throwaway society is so depressing - but I'm

> not going to go there!

>

> I will write to the council today to advocate for

> proper recycling facilities in each of the

> Southwark parks. If you agree with my

> suggestions, perhaps you could do the same and we

> could actually make a change. Either that or my

> mornings will continue to be spent picking up

> other peoples' rubbish, which is a pretty

> depressing prospect!

[first mate]

The cost in vet bills for a dog that cuts a paw on broken glass will vastly outweigh any ?50 fine for littering. The risks to children are also serious. People need to get a grip. It is not always someone else?s responsibility to do your dirty work. Take your rubbish home if the bins are full. Simple and as it should be.

dontbesilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Penguin68 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Surely it's quite simple - if you bring stuff

> into

> > a park, you should take it away with you, or,

> if

> > you're lucky, dispose of it in rubbish bins

> > provided. If they are't, or they're full, then

> > whatever you brought your 'not yet rubbish' in,

> > can be used to take your, 'now it's rubbish'

> away

> > with you. At a time when public space is

> > particularly vital (for those otherwise

> sheltering

> > in their homes) messing it up for other people

> is

> > unforgivable. I wonder if 'spot' ?50 or ?100

> fines

> > might help sharpen minds?

> >

> > Enjoy public parks of course, eat or drink

> there,

> > of course; but only if you're prepared to treat

> > them properly and with respect.

>

>

> I have once been given a fine by some kind of

> civil enforcement officer for taking a piss in a

> park in Hackney.

>

>

> The park was on route to another park that was

> hosting a music festival, and there were no

> provided toilets anywhere, so after a long tube

> journey i found a discreet spot in a park to do my

> business. Some fluro jacketed loser comes riding

> up to me on a mountain bike and dishes out a

> ticket- i'd have told them to do one had this

> brave person not worn a body camera, and i was

> carrying shall we say 'medication' to take at the

> festival, so did not want the Police getting

> involved.

>

> Hackney must be very pleased with themselves that

> day as no doubt they milked plenty of people for

> ?50 on account of them not being able to provide

> public toilets. I wonder did these wardens dish

> out fines every time a dog took a piss in that

> park?

>

> I'd be very annoyed if Southwark or our

> neighbouring boroughs started behaving in this

> manner, whether its due to littering or public

> urination.

[JohnL]

dontbesilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> I have once been given a fine by some kind of

> civil enforcement officer for taking a piss in a

> park in Hackney.

>

If you organise a festival you need to dig some latrines or something surely. That was the first job in setting up boy scout camp :)

[peckman]

I'm amazed there are no recycling bins in parks.. much of the rubbish is recyclable .

I hate to break it to you guys .. I guarantee most people leaving rubbish in the park wont be reading these posts