Your Swindon
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting 'SWINDON NEWS' to 80360 or email »
|
|
|
|
|
|
Got a story? EMAIL US, call us on 01793 501806 or text us at 80360, starting your message
with 'SWINDON NEWS'
Rats are plaguing our streets
10:20am Saturday 29th December 2007
Comments (57)
RESIDENTS in Broadgreen say the streets have been infested by rats since Swindon council ditched its weekly refuse collection - and say these pictures prove it.
Fed-up residents took to the streets this week to rid the area of fly-tipped rubbish and rats themselves.
The group worked tirelessly from 10am to create a mountain of rubbish beside Fleming Way in protest at Swindon Council's move to fortnightly bin collections.
Salisbury Street resident Karen Leakey headed the group.
She said: "We are disgusted with the bin service provided by the council - we have seen filthier streets and have been plagued by rats.
"The smell of two-week old bins is grotesque and if it's like that now imagine the stench in the summer.
"We want our weekly collections back and we want them back now."
As well as mattresses and abandoned buggies among the festering piles of rubbish the team found more than a few dead rats along the route.
Tony Wilson, of Salisbury Street, said: "We have been plagued by rats round here since the rubbish collections changed.
"I have found rats in my kitchen and garden. My house is so clean I shouldn't have to live like that.
"I heard Karen was doing this collection and I thought if it's come to the residents having to do the council's work I may as well help all I can."
The 75-year-old said he fears this collection isn't the last.
He said: "People talk about Broadgreen as a run-down area. Here we are doing all we can to turn that reputation around and with very little in the way of help from the council.
"Picking up rubbish is their job, not ours."
Karen agrees. She said: "We have a large Goan population around here with big families all living in one house - as is their culture.
"They create more than one wheelie bin full of rubbish in a week so why should they have to put up with a substandard council collection - why should any of us?"
Karen and her team are recruiting for more residents to help with future clean-up events.
To volunteer contact Karen on 01793 612842 or send an email to kleak@ukonline.co.uk.
Your Say YourSwindon Advertiser
anon, swindon says...
11:50am Sat 29 Dec 07
Meldrews Dad, Wroughton says...
11:50am Sat 29 Dec 07
We pay for a weekly service and the people of Swindon want a weekly service. Get our coucillors off their backsides and make them kick the army of overstaffed penpushers out and employ adequate staff to collect our rubbish weekly.
I live in Wroughton and have rats by the dozen round my house now.
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
12:33pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
12:33pm Sat 29 Dec 07
j hmoud, swindon says...
12:45pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Big Mac, says...
12:50pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Karen agrees. She said: "We have a large Goan population around here with big families all living in one house - as is their culture.
"They create more than one wheelie bin full of rubbish in a week so why should they have to put up with a substandard council collection - why should any of us?"
Hmm, while I do have some sympathy with Broadgreen residents, the argument above is not a good one.
Council Tax payments are based on the property itself (ignoring the miserly 25% discount for single occupants).
If there are big families all living in one house and producing the equivalent of two or three house's worth of rubbish then those people should take responsibility for it.
You can't try and avoid paying the correct amount of Council Tax by over-crowding one property and then whinge when all of your additional rubbish isn't collected.
j hmoud, swindon says...
12:51pm Sat 29 Dec 07
born and bred, Swindon says...
1:08pm Sat 29 Dec 07
P S Altery, Swindon says...
1:21pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Larger families are entitled to two Wheelies, however, you have to be assessed and the Council have not provided enough assessors. In the meantime desperate households have no alternative but to fly tip.
There are not enough recycling points to make recycling feasible.
It is Winter, last week I walked passed my Wheelie, it stank, I am dreading the summer.
I have so far noticed two dead rats in the Broadgreen area, it's simple, once fortnightly collections will attract vermin. In the summer the Wheelies will be festooned with Wasps, Flies and Maggots. This is a public health issue.
There is NO excuse for this behaviour from the council, I have paid my extortionate tax, now I demand the service.
I suggest that come local election time you vote for the candidate, like Karen Leakey, who promises to restore the weekly collection, you do not vote for those who will not restore the collection. Yoiu should do this irrespective of the candidates political allegiance. This is the only way these gross incompetents will listen. You have the power, now use it!
I would like to add my Mum lives in Spain, the rubbish is collected every night!
SwindonBorn, Swindon says...
2:20pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Anyone who promises to restore the weekly non-recyclable collection will struggle to explain how they intend to do so while maintaining the increase in recylcing without a significant cost increase.
At the end of day, people need to start making more of an effort to reduce the waste they generate. We cannot go on filling up landfills at the rate we are now. Alarmist and gross exaggerations of "plagues of rats," is irresponsible scaremongering.
If people don't like mattresses, prams etc. being thrown out on the street perhaps they should take this up with the people thoughtlessly dumping their waste.
While there were teething problems with the scheme across town, it does seem that Broadgreen is having more of a problem than anywhere else.
CK, Swindon says...
3:29pm Sat 29 Dec 07
SwindonBorn wrote:The council is providing a weekly RECYCLING service - paper, card, glass, tin cans etc. It is no longer providing a weekly RUBBISH collection - which is something we have all paid for through our Council Tax.
The Council does provide a weekly collection service. Recylcing is every week and non-recycable materials are fortnightly. Anyone who promises to restore the weekly non-recyclable collection will struggle to explain how they intend to do so while maintaining the increase in recylcing without a significant cost increase. At the end of day, people need to start making more of an effort to reduce the waste they generate. We cannot go on filling up landfills at the rate we are now. Alarmist and gross exaggerations of "plagues of rats," is irresponsible scaremongering. If people don't like mattresses, prams etc. being thrown out on the street perhaps they should take this up with the people thoughtlessly dumping their waste. While there were teething problems with the scheme across town, it does seem that Broadgreen is having more of a problem than anywhere else.
Sorry, but I don't see mattresses, prams etc. thrown out on the street. In any case, large items such as these will be collected by the council for a small charge.
There are people who will fly-tip - but they were doing that before anyway.
Keeping the wheelie bin clean and free from nasty niffs isn't rocket science. Just wait till it's newly been emptied and wash it out with disinfectant and turn it upside down till it dries (or on it's side).
I used wheelie bins when they were first introduced about 20 years ago. Albeit ours was emptied every week but it did cut down on vermin and kept the area a lot tidier, but therein lay the answer - it was collected weekly and it was also bigger than the ones we've got now.
I recycle as much as possible but there are some things the council won't accept for recycling such as yogurt pots and similar plastics. Given the amount of unrecyclable materials that are foisted on us from shops and supermarkets, these take up a lot of space in the wheelie bins, even after squashing them down.
Although I quite like my wheelie bin (apart from the struggle getting it up steps) I do think we need to return to the weekly rubbish collection because of SBC's half-baked approach to recycling (by their own admission they haven't got the facilities to recycle many types of plastic).
They really do need to get back to the drawing board and come up with something better. After all, we pay extortionate council tax for these services.
P S Altery, Swindon says...
3:59pm Sat 29 Dec 07
pitbull, swindon says...
4:45pm Sat 29 Dec 07
yeti, swindon says...
4:46pm Sat 29 Dec 07
broadgreen is what it is because of the residents of the area and their negligence.the rubbish collections are nothing to do with it.
also the rubbish spouted that our service is less now is inaccurate too.infact we are getting more for our taxes.as they sort out the recyling materials weekly as they collect it!!
people out seeking rubbish just to make their ridiculous point says it all.
i suggest those people try to educate the primitive types that infect the area in how to recycle and improve the estate.
and rats are everywhere by the way.look hard enough and you will find them
hellyb, swindon says...
5:39pm Sat 29 Dec 07
BillysMum, Swindon says...
7:06pm Sat 29 Dec 07
Woody, Cricklade says...
7:31pm Sat 29 Dec 07
sam2win, swindon says...
7:42pm Sat 29 Dec 07
"They create more than one wheelie bin full of rubbish in a week so why should they have to put up with a substandard council collection - why should any of us ?"
What sort of comment is this ? Larger households are entitled to extra bins. This is just another attempt for the area to receive preferential treatment.
Wheelie bins seem to be working in the rest of the town. If the Broadgreen residents choose to dump their rubbish on the
streets, why should the rest of the town have to foot the bill to pay for it. Perhaps the cost of clearing the rubbish could be recovered by a substantial surcharge on the council tax for Broadgreen. Or perhaps they should arrange for private contractors to clear their fly tipped waste.
Buster, Town Centre says...
8:05pm Sat 29 Dec 07
This is waste dumped by their neighbours after all. If its not the residents of Broadgreen (even a small minority) Who is to blame for this waste?
As for the comments about the Goan's, maybe they do pack the houses to the rafters, and maybe it is their culture, but it's not ours and if it creates a health issue, such over crowding has to stop.
I also agree with Big Mac and others who highlight the fact that other tax payers are subsidising their waste collection, this is the case no matter where you stand on the two weekly collections.
The fly tipping of other waste (matresses etc) is a compleely spearate issue and should be treated as such.
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
9:40pm Sat 29 Dec 07
I'm just waiting for somebody here to suggest that the one wheelie bin is actually adequate for the ten houses along here and should be used for all!
I say fair play to the residents of Broad Green. Good luck to them and their plucky councillor. It's too easy to sit on your backside and moan, at least these guys are doing something about it! There is a problem, lets not bury our heads in the sand and pretend there is not.
CK, Swindon says...
11:19pm Sat 29 Dec 07
One of the biggest bones of contention is the amount of unrecyclable plastic. I mentioned two. Let's face it. Most of us buy our meat at the supermarket. What's it in? Little unrecyclable plastic trays. Those of us lucky enough to have a greenhouse and grow our own plants know we can recycle them ourselves as they make good little seedling trays, but you can only put so much in a greenhouse and not everyone has a garden, let alone a greenhouse.
Another real pain is the bubble packs that items such as headphones come in. Difficult to get into (even with strong scissors near nigh impossible at times - and you can give yourself a nasty cut with the sharp edges). Do we really need that type of packaging? The answer is no. Not so long ago such items would have been in a cardboard (recyclable) box. Why can't we return to that type of packaging and ditch the stupid bubble packs? All these things do is fill up your bin and end up in landfill.
Hellyb. You are mistaken if you think this is "saving the environment".
Recycling is fine IF it is done properly and many people have been doing it for years one way or the other.
However, you can't make a sweeping statement such as "...saving the environment" when the Council now have at least 3 times more lorries belching out diesel fumes than they had before.
Lorry comes round to do kerbside recycling of cans, glass and cardboard. Does not switch off engine.
Lorry comes round to empty wheelie bins. Does not switch off engine.
Yet another lorry comes round to collect the plastic bottle bags. Does not switch off engine.
Please tell me HOW that is supposed to "help save the environment". It's just added 3fold to the pollution we already have.
This recycling is designed to cut down on landfill. Nothing more but as I've said above, although there might be less landfill useage, the pollution levels have increased.
yeti, swindon says...
12:18am Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword wrote:maybe its because many of your fellow residents of walcot just bundling recylble items into bin bags that causes the problem?
It's not just Broad Green that has a problem, as stated by somebody earlier on in the thread. Here is Queens Drive, none of my nearby neighbours have received a wheelie bin or blue bags, despite endless phone calls to the council. I am the only one along here who has received one! But it's not enough as I have a family of six children, two of those have continance probs. We have phoned the council and asked for an assesment months back and chased up with twice weekly phone calls, all to no avail. I have also reported the huge load of black bags that have been left to fester by the roadside. It's black bag city here and through no fault of the residents! I'm just waiting for somebody here to suggest that the one wheelie bin is actually adequate for the ten houses along here and should be used for all! I say fair play to the residents of Broad Green. Good luck to them and their plucky councillor. It's too easy to sit on your backside and moan, at least these guys are doing something about it! There is a problem, lets not bury our heads in the sand and pretend there is not.
and have you heard of terry nappies?
i think your neighbours should have had their wheelie bins.why give you yours and not eveyone else?for that the council must take the blame!
the rest is nobys fault but the residents.if you choose to breed like rabbits dont expect everyone else to foot the bill for everything.its your responsibilty!
cant pay?dont breed!
CK, Swindon says...
12:51am Sun 30 Dec 07
Many people are in a similar position of not having received wheelie bin or blue bag.
This is part of the problem with this whole collection business. There is no consistency from area to area.
Recycling is admirable but only , and I repeat only if it is done properly, which, in Swindon it is not.
As for terry nappies, I used them with my kids. They might be recyclable over and over again but they are not that environmentally friendly either - pailfuls of nappies soaking in bleach-based Napisan (or whatever they use nowadays), then having to be washed - uses gallons of hot water, also pumping washing powder chemicals into the environment, then dried, either outside if it's a fine day or if it's raining in a tumble dryer or on a clothes horse with the heating turned up. I know when my kids were small my washing machine was on every day, sometimes twice a day - and there is 6 years between my two.
Regardless of whether you use disposable nappies or terry nappies, both have their pros and cons.
I will repeat what I said in my previous post. The biggest culprit are the manufacturers who persist in foisting these unrecyclable (at least for SBC) plastic trays and these infernal bubble packs!
Polymath, Swindon says...
1:28am Sun 30 Dec 07
I vote with my money by not purchasing goods with unrecyclable packaging in the first place. It's a start.
neilswindonuk, Swindon says...
1:49am Sun 30 Dec 07
Splashing problems of an area I used to live in on front pages is going to severely decrease house prices and further act as a catalyst for the declining condition of the area.
Quit being an aspiring councellor and actually promote the good of the area before turning my old neighbourhood into a worse shanty state. Take it up with the council as the adver can't collect the waste.
I don't know if you have heard, rats have increased in population and its not the council's faul that people produce so much waste and cannot make adequate arrangements to store their waste. People need to RECYCLE MORE and take more responsibility as times are changing and people need to accept their habits need to change!! Hello, its nearly the year 2008....
Secondly, this surely cannot be worthy of the front page? A day after a harrowing story about the 17 year old who got killed on Christmas Day?? I do journalism at UNI and would bin this idea completely!!!
Grumpy, Swindon says...
9:55am Sun 30 Dec 07
neilswindonuk wrote:If you ever qualify as a journalist, then there's bound to be a job waiting for you at the Adver, or even The Guardian. Your standard of written grammar is about on a par with their journalists - not very good!
If you moan about Wheelie Bins, then obviously rubbish is going to build up into a mountain! Common sense I think!!
Splashing problems of an area I used to live in on front pages is going to severely decrease house prices and further act as a catalyst for the declining condition of the area.
Quit being an aspiring councellor and actually promote the good of the area before turning my old neighbourhood into a worse shanty state. Take it up with the council as the adver can't collect the waste.
I don't know if you have heard, rats have increased in population and its not the council's faul that people produce so much waste and cannot make adequate arrangements to store their waste. People need to RECYCLE MORE and take more responsibility as times are changing and people need to accept their habits need to change!! Hello, its nearly the year 2008....
Secondly, this surely cannot be worthy of the front page? A day after a harrowing story about the 17 year old who got killed on Christmas Day?? I do journalism at UNI and would bin this idea completely!!!
Mick out West, West Swindon says...
10:37am Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
11:08am Sun 30 Dec 07
As for the neigbours, they are very good at recycling and all use their tubs whenever possible. It's packaging and limited recycling that is the problem as Ck states.
Breeding like rabbits, well I would happily pay for a second wheelie bin. I tried to purchase a third recycling tub, but, the council would not accept our debit card over the phone, despite the fact that is a widely accepted card (visa electron). We were told that we would have to go to Cheney Manor to pick up and pay for a third box. As i already mentioned myself and husband can't drive, due to medical conditions. I explained this to the guy on the phone and asked if a street warden could deliver a third tub (they are always in the area anyhow!) and we could give him or her the £5. Guess what, we were told no. So the council is not exactly helping itself here.
What would happen if we purchased a plain black box from Wilkinsons, to use as a recylcing tub, would they collect in that??
yeti, swindon says...
11:08am Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
11:19am Sun 30 Dec 07
hope you and your family had a good christmas? We may not agree on much, but I respect your opinions none the less and do not ever take offence. I know that you have had a rough ride in Walcot.
yeti, swindon says...
11:27am Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword wrote:i know you are a good person and i take my hat off to you. i really do.i do have my opinions but i dont mean any personal insults to you at all.i wish you and your family a happy new year!
Yeti, hope you and your family had a good christmas? We may not agree on much, but I respect your opinions none the less and do not ever take offence. I know that you have had a rough ride in Walcot.
jesuswept117, swindon says...
12:15pm Sun 30 Dec 07
neilswindonuk, Swindon says...
1:26pm Sun 30 Dec 07
jesuswept117 wrote:I agree - and recycling is the only way forward! If everyone fulfills their obligations then there won't be causes to complain.
Dont see what all the fuss is about. Rats eat the rubbish, so more rats, the less rubbish. Less rubbish less whinging idiots carrying on about wheelie bins. Less whingers on about bins, more space for proper journalism in the adver. Opps sorry, Went a bit far with that last comment.
neilswindonuk, Swindon says...
1:34pm Sun 30 Dec 07
WTF?, Swindon says...
4:27pm Sun 30 Dec 07
She creates her own problems over and over again.
Firstly refusing to use the wheelie bins, then complaining that rubbish is piling up, then fussing about rats from piled up rubbish?
I remain baffled as to why our local paper continue to assist this poor lady in looking ridiculous.
As NeilSwindon says, Mrs Leakey just contributes to the bad name Broad Green has in the town already.
I feel so very sorry for anyone who is trying to sell their house in that area. Until Mrs Leakey realises where her rubbish should go and takes the Adver number off speed dial your house will remain unsold.
An appalling area, as Mrs Leakey continues to highlight, which should be evacuated so the council can allow developers to bulldoze it and turn it into a landfill site.
sam2win, swindon says...
7:34pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword wrote:Swindon council offer a dedicated collection for medical waste (they supply special yellow sacks) IF you can eventually make contact with the cleansing dept it would be worth asking about this service
I cant put teri nappies on a almost four year old or a ten year old! They have a problem with a muscle in their bowel. They need specialist products that are supplied. They don't seem to do environmentally friendly products. As for the neigbours, they are very good at recycling and all use their tubs whenever possible. It's packaging and limited recycling that is the problem as Ck states. Breeding like rabbits, well I would happily pay for a second wheelie bin. I tried to purchase a third recycling tub, but, the council would not accept our debit card over the phone, despite the fact that is a widely accepted card (visa electron). We were told that we would have to go to Cheney Manor to pick up and pay for a third box. As i already mentioned myself and husband can't drive, due to medical conditions. I explained this to the guy on the phone and asked if a street warden could deliver a third tub (they are always in the area anyhow!) and we could give him or her the £5. Guess what, we were told no. So the council is not exactly helping itself here. What would happen if we purchased a plain black box from Wilkinsons, to use as a recylcing tub, would they collect in that??
CK, Swindon says...
7:38pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Ironically, most of the "smog" was generated by industry.
All this has done is trade one problem for another. A lot less open fires but a lot more landfill rubbish.
Seems to me the environmentalists want their cake and eat it. Can't have it all ways I'm afraid.
(Sigh). I miss not having an open fire. Can't beat them for warming up on a cold night.
WTF?, Swindon says...
8:13pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Pav, Swindon says...
8:52pm Sun 30 Dec 07
THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET.
WTF?, Swindon says...
8:58pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
9:04pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Sam thanks for the info. When/if? the assesor turns up I will ask about this.
Many thanks again.
Amused, Happy Land says...
9:21pm Sun 30 Dec 07
Pav wrote:Not strictly true pav. I now have 4 kids, I think that counts me as having a large family. I pay more than enough council tax and no-one at the castle is on benefits thanks!
I've only just read this - and I think it's a disgrace. Large families get TWO wheelie bins! Are they paying two lots of council tax? Unlikely. More likely is that they pay NO council tax as they are on benefits. THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET.
P.S. We have just the one wheelie bin and recycle everything we can and only need the one.
Happy new year to one and all
xx
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
9:24pm Sun 30 Dec 07
karen leakey, says...
11:36pm Sun 30 Dec 07
We have no problem with recycling most of the residents undertake this exercise well and it is very welcome, unfortunately there is some confusion between problems of rubbish collection and recycling, and there is no connection between the two what so ever.
The Broadgreen area has, for many years, had a big problem with things being fly-tipped , like beds/furniture and white goods etc. often being dumped by people not living in the area.
Now, since a fortnightly rubbish collection has been introduced, we have a large amount of black bins bags being dumped as well.
Whilst the dumping could be put down to thoughtless residents and some of it probably is, much of it is because like it or not people produce too much rubbish that cannot be recycled or fitted into their wheelies.
This is a problem I have myself, but like so many people across the town that have access to transport, I can, as suggested by the Council, dump my excess rubbish at the recycling centre.
However, many people in the Broadgreen area are not so lucky and do not have the same access to transport to take their excess rubbish to Barnfield. Therefore do people commenting on here really believe that they are superior to people that do not have the means to dump their rubbish at the official place, and therefore believe those people should not be allowed to purchase and enjoy the same things as themselves, simply because they are not in a situation to throw away the associated rubbish at official places?
This is what has lead to black bags being dumped in alley ways and on the streets, simply because people have no other way of disposing of their rubbish.
Much of the rubbish we collected last Thursday was in fact not outside peoples houses but simply in the road or in alleyways. The official SBC blue bags picked up were nowhere near Medgebury road or Gooch Street, roads that have a blue bag collection, but were in the middle of roads far from these areas.
Plastic recycling bags exactly the same, picked up after being blown or kicked around the area. The blue bags that we collected were probably moved/kicked by persons carrying out anti-social behaviour late at night, after enjoying an evening of fun in the Town Centre, leaving them in places not in a blue bag collection area.
At the end of the day for whatever reasons, and they are multiple, SBCs fortnightly collection of rubbish is not working in the Broadgreen Area.
The Council were made aware of the problems that would happen in the area if they pushed ahead with their policies, the answer was our concerns were purely hypothetical and to invent and hypothesise about problems was a futile exercise!
The problem is we were right, we didnt want to be right as we are now suffering from our hypothetical worries we put forward, but we the residents are the ones who live here and understand the area, unlike our councillors who have no idea about our area what so ever, and rarely dip their toes into the whole Ward, let alone one particular part.
This is the only reason I have stood in the last 2 Council elections, I do not seek fame or fortune but have deep seated feelings about what is right and wrong and I will continue to fight along side my fellow neighbours and represent the majority as I have done about many issues for the last 8 years.
Problems with rubbish collections etc are not solely seen in the Broadgreen area, we just shout louder than other people and are not prepared to accept things simply because the Council decide a policy is going to work.
karen leakey, says...
11:37pm Sun 30 Dec 07
We have no problem with recycling most of the residents undertake this exercise well and it is very welcome, unfortunately there is some confusion between problems of rubbish collection and recycling, and there is no connection between the two what so ever.
The Broadgreen area has, for many years, had a big problem with things being fly-tipped , like beds/furniture and white goods etc. often being dumped by people not living in the area.
Now, since a fortnightly rubbish collection has been introduced, we have a large amount of black bins bags being dumped as well.
Whilst the dumping could be put down to thoughtless residents and some of it probably is, much of it is because like it or not people produce too much rubbish that cannot be recycled or fitted into their wheelies.
This is a problem I have myself, but like so many people across the town that have access to transport, I can, as suggested by the Council, dump my excess rubbish at the recycling centre.
However, many people in the Broadgreen area are not so lucky and do not have the same access to transport to take their excess rubbish to Barnfield. Therefore do people commenting on here really believe that they are superior to people that do not have the means to dump their rubbish at the official place, and therefore believe those people should not be allowed to purchase and enjoy the same things as themselves, simply because they are not in a situation to throw away the associated rubbish at official places?
This is what has lead to black bags being dumped in alley ways and on the streets, simply because people have no other way of disposing of their rubbish.
Much of the rubbish we collected last Thursday was in fact not outside peoples houses but simply in the road or in alleyways. The official SBC blue bags picked up were nowhere near Medgebury road or Gooch Street, roads that have a blue bag collection, but were in the middle of roads far from these areas.
Plastic recycling bags exactly the same, picked up after being blown or kicked around the area. The blue bags that we collected were probably moved/kicked by persons carrying out anti-social behaviour late at night, after enjoying an evening of fun in the Town Centre, leaving them in places not in a blue bag collection area.
At the end of the day for whatever reasons, and they are multiple, SBCs fortnightly collection of rubbish is not working in the Broadgreen Area.
The Council were made aware of the problems that would happen in the area if they pushed ahead with their policies, the answer was our concerns were purely hypothetical and to invent and hypothesise about problems was a futile exercise!
The problem is we were right, we didnt want to be right as we are now suffering from our hypothetical worries we put forward, but we the residents are the ones who live here and understand the area, unlike our councillors who have no idea about our area what so ever, and rarely dip their toes into the whole Ward, let alone one particular part.
This is the only reason I have stood in the last 2 Council elections, I do not seek fame or fortune but have deep seated feelings about what is right and wrong and I will continue to fight along side my fellow neighbours and represent the majority as I have done about many issues for the last 8 years.
Problems with rubbish collections etc are not solely seen in the Broadgreen area, we just shout louder than other people and are not prepared to accept things simply because the Council decide a policy is going to work.
Tobz, says...
2:13am Mon 31 Dec 07
All I can say is that my street (NOT in Broadgreen) is littered with paper and rubbish post change over - I comply (when I can) - though it seems to me that 90% of the environmental arguments given for why this has happeneed are obviously spurious or just plain stupid and contradictory. The whole move by SBC is to avoid the EU landfill tax: it really is that simple!
For those without the luxury of nice long driveways to hide their stinking wheelie bins, roll on the summer. Two weeks of rotting rubbish coooking in a black plastic incubator... Hmmm, peachy outlook!
Grumpy, Swindon says...
8:16am Mon 31 Dec 07
The claim that people are driving into the area to flytip is a ridiculous thing to say and if the residents have rubbish that will not fit into their wheelie bins then that's their problem and they should be expected to pay for it's removal - I do not see why the rest of Swindon should be expected to pay for Leakey and her cronies incompetence.
peter_the_bored, Broadgreen says...
8:28am Mon 31 Dec 07
Much of the problem here is that the council is doing little - if nothing - to prosecute and prevent the fly tipping. Apart from one occasion - where the Adver was invited to watch the rubbish police taking the bags away for examination - the bags just build up.
Big Mac, says...
9:41am Mon 31 Dec 07
I wonder how many people who are so keen to recycle were also keen to usher in the smoking ban?
As a life-long non-smoker and a person who is intelligent enough to realise that recycling is a pointless exercise, it does make me laugh now that people's wishes have come true and... guess what? They don't like what they wished for!
Personally speaking, this new refuse collection system hasn't affected me at all. I still throw out the exact same rubbish as before, it's just that now they provide me with free blue bags, so I save money on having to buy my own black ones.
Of course, everyone else is wasting their time sorting out all their rubbish and putting it in the 'correct' (do as you're told) boxes, just so that three lorries can now drive past and then take it all to the same landfill site eventually in any case.
Yet again government directives are costing people more time, more effort and more money and yet again people are just sitting around accepting what's being done to them.
The really funny point will come when the first batch of blue bags runs out - as it will do, people will not have rationed them appropriately. When they happens (about another two or three weeks I reckon), Ms Leakey's whinging will be joined by a chorus of thousands of howls about not being able to throw any rubbish away correctly.
This story is just going to run and run. I shall just keep laughing ever louder.
People just do not seem to realise it's entirely their fault that we have a government that foists this kind of stuff on us at every turn and without care.
Voice of reason, Near Swindon says...
10:54am Mon 31 Dec 07
r road area of Swindon looks more like a Bombay slum every day, mostly due to the sort of people who have taken over it in the last few years. Large numbers of economic immigrants living in multiple occupancy dwellings and who have no interest in the area, its people or our town and enviroment. They have no interest in keeping the area clean and tidy, why should they? Once they've earnt their money in South Marston they'll be off. (we hope).
WTF?, Swindon says...
11:10am Mon 31 Dec 07
This is how these people live in their own countries.
Ms Leakey, you need to be talking to your fellow neighbours NOT the Adver. May I suggest you give Language Line a call, they'll be able to help with the translation of:
Rubbish Goes Into Bin!
Voice of reason, Near Swindon says...
2:22pm Mon 31 Dec 07
Mick out West, West Swindon says...
3:00pm Mon 31 Dec 07
Mumstheword, Walcot says...
10:37pm Tue 1 Jan 08
Mick out West, West Swindon says...
10:56am Wed 2 Jan 08
Mumstheword wrote:Not true, Blue bags are evident.
Ummm, cause they have neither been given a wheelie bin or blue bags.
Big Mac, says...
10:59am Wed 2 Jan 08
Why are people still putting out black bin bags.
Because some people are very stupid.
It's really as simple as that.
Some people do seem to think, 'What are they going to do, just leave it there?'
Unfortunately, they don't yet seem to have worked out that's exactly what happens.
And, as I mentioned above, after the increased rubbish of the holiday season I reckon many households on the blue bag scheme will simply have run out of the correct coloured bags and just assume they can use black ones.
It's going to be hilarious when hundreds of people suddenly have the penny drop and realise they are now unable to correctly put out any rubbish at all...
Buy this photo »
In this section
- Factory friendship led to lasting love
- Musical mowing helps out leaves
- School sends out flu text bombshell
- Jenny Pitman pledges support to the Samaritans
- Pupils make film about leaving primary school
- Red Devils raise cash for heroes
- Open day for college
- Shoplifter pleads guilty
- Pupils given a chance to learn film skills
- Teenage motorcyclist injured
Sponsored Links
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
PaulD, says...
11:26am Sat 29 Dec 07
THIS IS THEIR RUBBISH! THEY HAVE THROWN IT INTO THE STREET!