Resident hits out after rubbish on verges shredded
LITTER PICKER CRITICISES COUNCIL FOR THE MESS
A WEST London council has been criticised after a resident felt forced to pick up hundreds of pieces of litter themselves after the authority cut grass verges, ‘shredding’ rubbish in the greenery.
A local litter picker reportedly spent three hours cleaning up the mess in Harlington, Hillingdon.
A spokesperson for Hillingdon Litter Pickers said on Twitter: “Gerard spent three hours in Harlington last night, picking up hundreds of bits of shredded litter. “Sixteen bags in total. “Why do the council not litter pick these grass verges before they cut the grass and shred the litter into 100s of pieces? It’s not rocket science.”
A spokesperson from Hillingdon Council said: “It’s extremely disappointing that some people choose to drop their litter in our lovely green spaces when there are plenty of bins supplied or they could simply take it home with them.
“We try to minimise issues by coordinating with our waste team’s litter-picking schedule and always encourage our mowing operatives to avoid litter where possible.
“However, given the grass is obviously long, the rubbish is not always visible.
“Our green spaces team mows more than 4,130,250 square metres of grass every two to three weeks – the equivalent of more than 578 football pitches. While we endeavour to avoid litter, sometimes it’s unfortunately unavoidable due to the sheer scale of this task.
“We hugely value the vital work Hillingdon Litter Pickers do in helping us keep the borough looking green and pleasant – that’s why they were recipients at this year’s Hillingdon Community Awards.”