Litter is ‘turning estate into dump’
A resident has voiced his frustration at the amount of littering around the Whiteway estate in Bath.
The man, who chose to go by the name of Stig, returned to the area after 20 years away to be “disappointed by how much of a mess the estate has become”.
He said he noticed the amount of litter being dumped around Whiteway on his daily exercise during lockdown and has decided to take action.
Stig said: “A friend lent me a litter picker and I started taking it with me on walks, picking up as I went. I’ve collected 50 sack-fulls now.
“Some of it has been hidden in hedges and gaps for years but most of it has been dropped recently.
“It’s really interesting to see what is dropped – and how much it reflects life, society and the people who drop it.
“There are lots of empty alcohol cans – cider seems the number one tipple of the litterer, closely followed by cheap lager and caffeine drinks.
“One person, or maybe a group of people, seem keen on cheap wine, though. Somewhere must sell really cheap one-and-a-half litre bottles of Lambrusco.
“There’s one lane where I’ve found about 20 of them.
“Then there’s used lottery tickets, they’re another favourite – once scratched they get thrown on the floor. In a couple of spots, I’ve found hundreds of them.”
Stig has also found signs of drug use, including needles, nitrous oxide canisters and other paraphernalia, and has picked up hundreds of disposable face masks.
Stig said he has found plenty of interesting items including “at least five pairs” of ladies’ underwear, a bag “full of human excrement” and two knives, which he reported to police and disposed of safely.
He noted that some people had been talk- ing about the issue on social media and some blamed the council or the social housing landlord Curo (which is responsible for maintaining the area).
But Stig said in his experience the council and social housing landlord Curo “do a good job and it’s a pity they are battling to keep tidy an area that some residents seem happy to turn into a dump”.
Stig puts the sacks of litter he collects next to litter bins and reports them to the council using the Fix My Street app. He says the council normally acknowledges his reports in minutes and arranges for the rubbish to be picked up the same day. Stig said: “There are a few places I’ve noticed where it’s really bad – the lane connecting the Hollow with Blagdon Park, for example. I’ve picked up sack-fulls there.
“I clear it completely and thoroughly only to come back the next day to find it a mess again.”
Stig says that lots of people comment to say “thanks” or “cheers” and a few he sees regularly are prepared to chat – but he thinks, sadly, most people think he’s mad.
He said: “And please don’t give me the ‘there’s no bins’ excuse – there are plenty. The lane between The Hollow and Blagdon Park has got one in the middle of it yet still people drop litter 3ft away from it.” Stig says that he’s planning to work with the Whiteway Association, Curo, local councillors and the council to organise a Big Spring Clean event at the end of May and says he hopes it might restore some of the pride that he believes is missing.