DUMPING GROUND
ANGER AS RUBBISH PILES UP IN PAISLEY’S WEST END
Sickened small business owners have described Paisley’s west end as a “dumping ground” as piles of rotting rubbish build up on the streets and pavements.
Heaps of bags, dumped mattresses and pushchairs, overflowing bins and abandoned shopping trollies have all been strewn across the streets.
Fed-up business owners say the area could become a health risk due to the volume of rubbish littering the area, with some rubbish “left for weeks” without being uplifted.
Graeme McGinlay, who has run Graeme’s Butchers in Well Street for 22 years, said: “The west end is a complete shambles. People just treat the area as a dump.”
Kirsty McIlroy, who owns Fade & Dye in Well Street, added: “People see rubbish piling up and dump whatever they like.”
Renfrewshire Council said all bins in the area are regularly uplifted and have encouraged residents to report any illegal fly-tipping.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “We take great pride in keeping Renfrewshire clean and as soon as these incidents were reported to us, we responded and cleared the rubbish.”
These are the shocking images of Paisley’s west end that show piles of rubbish heaped up in the streets.
Disgusted business owners say the area is being used as a “dumping ground”.
Shopkeepers in the area say they feel the mountains of rubbish left strewn all over the streets by careless dumpers makes the area look “abandoned”.
Old mat t resses, ditched pushchairs, abandoned shopping trollies and overflowing bins can all be seen scattered over a number of streets.
Shop owners have even been forced to take to the streets to clean up the mess themselves, and they fear people will be put off coming to the area at a time when they need business the most.
Graeme McGinlay, who owns Graeme’s Butchers in Well Street, claims a number of bins in the area have been left untouched since the beginning of lockdown in March.
Renfrewshire Council refutes the claims, saying bins are regularly uplifted in the area and the issues are a result of residents leaving bins on the street after they have been uplifted.
But Graeme claims the issue is a result of both careless dumpers and a lack of timely action from the council.
He said: “The west end of Paisley is a complete shambles.
“It looks like it has been abandoned.
“The amount of rubbish all over the place is just terrible. It is an absolute dump.
“People are seeing the rubbish lying all over the streets and just thinking they can pile on whatever they like.
“People can hardly walk on the pavement it is so bad.
“Some of the bins have been left since before lockdown and things that have been fly-tipped are left for over a week before they are picked up.
“It’s just as much a problem with people treating the area as a dump as it is the council not dealing with it well enough.”
Graeme, who has run the well- known butcher shop for 22 years, says the issue with rubbish has been going on for a number of years.
However, he says since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic there have been fears it could have an effect on his business as the area looks so run down.
The 55-year-old, from Johnstone, added: “It just puts people off coming here.
“This is an issue that has been going on for a number of years but it’s the worst it has ever been some of it hasn’t been touched in months.
“The last thing business owners need just now is something like this having an effect on people coming to the area to visit businesses.”
As well as unsightly rubbish piling up, businesses also claim the smell from the heaps of rubbish bags is an issue.
Kirsty Donahoe, from Paisley opened her hair salon, Fade & Dye, two weeks ago after being forced to close in March due to the pandemic.
She claims the smell and the number of flies surrounding the bins means she can’t keep her salon door open as per Scottish Government guidelines.
Kirsty, 43, added: “We are supposed to keep the place ventilated but as soon as we get a warm day the flies are ridiculous and you can smell the bins.
“That is the last thing we want for our customers who have been waiting months to come and get their hair done.
“I’m being forced to run my extractor fan with the door closed and it’s costing me more money on my bills.
“It’s not much when it’s a oneoff but when you add it all up it can be costly.”
Kirsty - who opened up her salon in Well Street a decade ago - has even been forced to clean up rubbish after bin bags outside her salon were burst and spread all over the street.
She added: “I don’t know who or what has been touching that rubbish so it is a health risk.
“If it isn’t cleaned up quick enough then we are going to end up with vermin and that causes a whole other health risk.
“And it will be the businesses who are going to be forced to foot the bill.”
The shocking images of litter in Paisley’s streets comes as the Paisley Daily Express teamed up with Clean Up Britain for the Don’t Trash Our Future campaign calling on the punishment for littering is raised to a £1,000 fine or 100 hours of supervised community litter picking.
Alongside our nationwide network of sister newspapers
and websites, we are calling on local authorities and the Scottish Government to enforce the law and help rid the streets of litter.
The council confirmed the areas pictured have now been cleared of rubbish.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy board, said: “Fly-tipping is illegal, unsightly, costly to remove and damaging to our local environment and we share in the frustrations felt by residents and business owners whenever an incident occurs.
“We take great pride in keeping Renfrewshire clean and as soon as these incidents were reported to us, we responded and cleared the rubbish.
“We would remind residents to be a good neighbour and do their bit by recycling properly and removing their bin once it has been emptied and also remind people not to leave their waste next to other people’s bins.
“All bin collections are taking place as normal and our Household Waste Recycling Centres are open, while we offer a special uplift service for domestic and commercial premises.
“If you see fly-tipping happening, report it as we need people to take responsibility for their waste and recognise littering and fly-tipping is unacceptable, no matter the situation.
“Report fly- tipping by calling 0300 300 0300 or complete the online form on the council website.”