Take your dog’s waste home with you, Trust says as it removes bins
THE National Trust has removed waste bins to force dog walkers to clean up after their pets.
The charity has reported an increase in dog owners visiting a beauty spot in East Hampshire, and an equally sharp increase in dog waste being left in onsite bins, which overstretched staff can not empty quickly enough.
The National Trust said waste bags have been left scattered on the ground and hanging from trees as a result of bins being full, and the charity has now taken the decision to remove all bins to force owners to take their pets’ mess home with them.
Matt Bramich, head ranger for Ludshott Common, said: “Due to the huge increase in dog walkers using the common in the past year, we have really struggled to keep up with the disposal of dog waste left in our bins, on top of all our other duties.
“Emptying them costs the charity a lot of money, and we’re still unable to keep on top of the problem.
“They fill up more quickly than we can empty them.
“It’s a sad and sorry way to treat a beautiful place like this, and it causes a health and safety risk to other visitors and to our staff.
“As a charity, we have limited funds for waste disposal, so as a result, we have made the difficult decision that the dog waste bins on Ludshott Common will be removed.
“We want people to visit the common, to enjoy this beautiful landscape and its wildlife, but we need dog owners to help us look after it by picking up after their dog and taking their dog waste home with them.”
The National Trust’s problem follows a national trend, with increased dog ownership over lockdown leading to an increase in the amount of waste bags being dumped by pet owners.
Many pets were bought to help people cope with loneliness during lockdown, and some research has suggested a 200 per cent rise in dog waste on UK streets since the pandemic began, even though the majority of pet owners were found to clean up after their animals.
Concerns have been raised in the past about the impact of increased excrement in public spaces, with experts fearing both hygiene and the environment could suffer as a result of waste and plastic bags being left in streets and parks.
Ludshott Common, which at 735 acres is one of the largest remaining areas of heathland in East Hampshire, had seen a rise in visitors over the pandemic. As well as an unmanageable increase in dog waste, the rangers also reported more littering, fly-tipping, destruction of pathways due to increased footfall, and altercations between livestock and pet dogs.