Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Litter eyesore is worse than ever Call for action as rubbish piles up
A Petersburn community champion is looking to do her bit to clean up a rubbishstrewn area of land she has labelled “a total disgrace”.
Sharon Craig, chair of Craigneuk and Petersburn tenants’ and residents’ association has hit out at litter louts dumping everything from plastic bottles to syringes on the grass area behind shops on Glen Road, near Dunrobin Primary School.
Sharon said this has been a long-term issue but is now “worse than ever”.
She told the Advertiser: “People are dumping plastic bottles, cans, household items, glass and even syringes. It’s a total disgrace.
“This area of grass land is a complete eyesore and the problem first came to light a good while ago when people passing on the bus began noticing it.
“The bus stops right outside the land and a lot of locals started complaining about the amount of rubbish.
“From what I understand, the land doesn’t belong to the council but the shop owners are all saying it isn’t their responsibility either.
“Some of the shop owners have tried to tidy things up a bit but the rubbish just keeps on piling up.
“What makes it even more worrying is there is a school nearby and the main priority has to be ensuring the children’s safety.”
Sharon is even prepared to get her own hands dirty as she attempts to set up community litter-picking events to tidy up the land.
She said: “I am trying to get Petersburn community council and the tenants’ and residents’ association involved.
“It goes without saying that community litter- picking would help but it’s getting everything put in place.
“The children at Dunrobin Primary are very eco-friendly and proud of their community and the school has already said it would be willing to help with any clean-up.
“But we can’t just put the kids in to help out in case there are any needles or broken glass among the rubbish. We need to make sure the land is safe for them.”
Sharon added: “We’re trying to get as many people on board as we can. Beautiful Scotland has told us it would be willing to provide bin bags and highvis vests.
“It ’ s all about raising awareness about the problem too. Even if the council doesn’t own the land, it could potentially set up some bins in the area.
“We’ve always had an issue with litter there but it’s worse than ever now as it’s just not getting cleaned up.
“Something has to be done before it’s too late and there is too much rubbish to handle.”
The council confirmed it does not own the affected land but voiced its support for any planned community litterpicking events.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “This area of land at the back of the shops is not owned by the council. Responsibility for the maintenance of the land rests with the landowner.
“The council has previously removed syringes from this site and we will arrange for an inspection of the location again and remove any visible syringes.
“We will also try to contact the landowner to advise them of their responsibility to maintain the site.
“We are happy to support community litter picks by providing litter-pickers and bags and collecting the rubbish picked up.
“However, we believe this site is not suitable for a community litter pick with children because of its history of syringes being found and the potential risks involved.”
People are dumping plastic bottles, cans, household items, glass and even syringes