Talking rubbish helps keep area clean
BUSINESSES in Didsbury are rallying round to ‘talk rubbish’ and reduce littering in their area.
Local traders have been heading out with litter pickers, shovels and brooms as part of a week of action to promote a cleaner village, in partnership with Manchester council.
The ‘Let’s Talk Rubbish’ initiative was organised by the council, Didsbury Traders Association and Didsbury Civic Society, to highlight the issue of littering and its impact.
The week of action followed meetings between local businesses and the council, with support from the council’s waste contractor Biffa and Keep Britain Tidy.
Fifteen businesses and two local schools – Beaver Road Primary School and Barlow Moor High – have pledged their support so far, along with Didsbury in Bloom and the Didsbury Park volunteers.
Irene Bayliss, from Didsbury Traders Association, has been involved in the initiative since its inception. She said: “With the help of the council, we organised a business summit, which was really valuable, as getting everyone together in one room helped us to realise that littering was a problem that we could all play our part in tackling.
“Everyone who came pledged to help keep the village clean and promote the message that it isn’t acceptable to drop litter.
“We have a busy night-time economy in the village and of course, this does cause problems with people dropping rubbish. People locally were conscious that something needed to be done and working together in this way is making a real difference.”
Irene’s business, Harriet and Dee, is based on Warburton Street, where the traders have been going the extra mile to ensure that the street is always tidy.
“It’s a small street with several shops, so we decided that it was up to us to keep it looking nice.
“Working together to raise awareness of the issue is also really important.
“We’re all displaying posters asking people not to drop rubbish and hopefully, this will make them think twice before littering.”