Fighting menace of litter across county
THE Keep Gloucestershire Glorious: The Big Summer Clean campaign follows work which is already in progress to tackle the problem.
People across Tewkesbury district have been lending a hand in keeping their communities clean.
Peter Tonge, head of community services at Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “Keep Gloucestershire Glorious sounds like a great initiative and we are certainly doing our bit to contribute in Tewkesbury Borough.
“We are very proud of the 280 volunteer litter pickers who are the unsung heroes of Tewkesbury Borough – it’s wonderful how many different people want to get involved and register with us: runners, families, dog walkers, retirees and many more.
“We are incredibly grateful for the contribution they make to their communities.”
Tewkesbury Borough Council is targeting dog fouling as one of the major concerns for the village. Mr Tonge said: “We’re lucky that most of the dog owners across Tewkesbury Borough are very considerate and pick up after their dog as a routine part of their walk, but frustratingly, there continues to be a small few who leave their dog mess behind. “Environmental health officers will be out and about over the summer to talk to dog walkers and parish councils about: how the issue can be tackled; how to report incidents and how we can help, with enforcement action as a last resort.
To deter people from leaving dog mess behind, the council has increased fines from £50 to £100 and fines dog walkers if they cannot produce a means to pick up after their dog. Gloucester City Council has initiated clean-up days such as the Gloucester Big Spring Clean. Councillor Richard Cook (C, Kingsway), cabinet member for environment, said: “The Spring Clean has been a huge success in previous years, with people of all ages coming together as a community to make sure the city is looking its best.”
The city’s council has reached out to councils and businesses in Gloucester to participate in the cleanup of Gloucester, which often gets criticism from citizens for fly-tipping and litter.
They have also helped the community kick off other initiatives in the city’s communities, such as Saturday Hillfield Gardeners.
Stroud District Council provides dog waste bins and litter bins to encourage responsible disposal.
The council is the highest performing council for recycling in the southwest and has experienced the largest increase in household waste recycling rates in England, according to Defra.
Stroud residents disposed of the least amount of residual waste to landfill/ incineration – an average of 258.6kg per household per year in 2016/17.