Street Champions aim to clean up the streets of Buckhaven

Sick of the sight of litter, this Fife community has taken matters into its own hands

A Fife community has banded together to tackle piles of litter left on local streets.

Ten people have responded to a rallying call from environmental charity Clear, which has launched a Street Champion scheme to help clean up Buckhaven.

And it is hoped even more willing bodies will step forward to help as the project becomes more established.

Clear chairman Bob Taylor said litter around parks and streets in the area had become a real eyesore and expressed hope that regular litterpicks by volunteers would keep it under control.

Thanks to support from Zerowaste Fife, Clear have provided litterpick bags, hoops and gloves to the Street Champions and have asked them to report how many bags of rubbish they collect each month.

“At a time when Fife Council is struggling with cutbacks, this extra effort from local residents can perhaps help keep the litter problem under control and the streets civilised,” Mr Taylor said:

“We need more Street Champions especially in the lower Buckhaven, Denbeath and Bird Scheme areas so I would invite anyone interested in taking part regularly to get in touch to extend the scheme as fully as possible.”

The move by Clear and the people of Buckhaven has been welcomed by local councillor John O’Brien, who this week criticised what he saw as Fife Council’s failure to deal with litter elsewhere in Levenmouth.

He accused the council of turning a blind eye to rubbish, a claim denied by the local authority.

Mr O’Brien described the Buckhaven initiative as fantastic.

“The days when we could rely on the council to clean our streets have gone,” he said.

“I commend this because it means somebody is taking notice and people are taking responsibility for their own communities.”

He added: “I have asked previously who is cleaning our streets.

“Now I know the answer, it’s Clear. They are a wonderful organisation and they are not frightened to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.

“I take my hat off to them.”

The days when we could rely on the council to clean our streets have gone. COUNCILLOR JOHN O’BRIEN

Picture: Steven Brown TAKING CONTROL: Members of the CLEAR Buckhaven team, pictured outside the office on College Street, have taken it upon themselves to rid the streets of rubbish by collecting litter dropped by individuals in an effort to keep the area tidy.