In co-operation with the Friends of Balgay, the Bonnie Dundee group has organised a litter pick at Balgay Park as part of city-wide environment events this Saturday – 19th June.
All welcome – simply turn up at the Balgay Park Scott Street entrance at 10am on Saturday.
I have expressed concern about Dundee City Council’s woeful record on litter fixed penalties issued over the past two years which are :
In calendar year 2019 – just 12 litter FPNs issued
In calendar year 2020 – just 9 litter FPNs issued
In Glasgow, 4490 penalties handed out in 2019 and even with the COVID pandemic in 2020, Glasgow City council still issued 950 fines last year and I feel that Dundee City Council should be putting more resource into tackling littering and issuing fixed penalties, something many constituents view as an important issue.
Whilst issuing fixed penalties for people who litter the city is only one way of tackling the problem, the City Council’s record on issuing these in recent years is pretty grim and it really must do better on this.
So many residents in my own ward in the West End regularly complain about the mess of litter and not issuing fixed penalties to those who cause the problem does not help. The environment staff do a good job of clearing up mess when I raise residents’ concerns about litter at particular locations but fixed penalties play a role in tackling this problem and the council has to get the act together on this. I agree that there are other actions that are also necessary including a good network of litter bins and also more street sweeping staffing.
Environment management has lost significant staffing since 2015 and the number of posts lost in the past six years we are advised amounts to over 50 posts. The number of manual street sweeping posts included in this figure that have been deleted amounts to over 30 of these with the remaining posts being a loss of gardeners, Ground Maintenance Operatives, Seasonal Leisure Attendants and others. I called for an additional 15 street sweeping staff at this year’s budget and believe this is also a vital action that should be taken.
The City Council’s Head of Community Safety and Protection advised me :
“I can advise that our approach to dealing with litter involves a wider strategy than enforcement. Dealing with litter is part of our Take Pride in Your City Campaign, which has as one of its strategic aims to encourage people to take shared responsibility for their environment. The campaign is an ongoing programme of work that promotes public and business participation. Prior to the first lockdown colleagues from Environment, Community Safety & Protection and Zero Waste Scotland collaborated on a ‘nudge’ project to encourage the use of street litter bins in the City Centre. In 2019/20 the waste and recycling team visited 27 nurseries, primary and secondary schools giving talks to children and young people to encourage the use of litter bins.
A recent new action added to the programme is to make visits to businesses as they reopen following easing of the Covid -19 restrictions to ensure that operators reinstate appropriate commercial waste contracts. The outcome of this will be to reduce littering created by business operators who fail to properly contain their commercial waste, prevention being better than cure. Having said that, a number of the FPN we have issued relate to commercial premises, where discarded refuse sacks can lead to litter being easily spread once they are split open.”
I have suggested to the council officers that some discussion takes place with Glasgow City Council about its proactive approach to littering and the Head of Community Safety and Protection has agreed that officers will speak with that council about how it tackles the litter issue. I do think it is vital that a proactive approach is taken if the city is genuinely to be ‘Bonnie Dundee.’
Further to the community litter pick last month we undertook around the Blackness Industrial Area/Hawkhill (see photo of us – right), there will be a further community litter pick arranged at Riverside Nature Park for this Sunday – 7th August – at 10am.
Very grateful thanks to Tesco Riverside who are bringing volunteers to help us.
If you can help, please meet at the Riverside Nature Park car park.
This afternoon, along with my councillor ward colleague Cllr Richard McCready, Environment Convener Cllr Craig Melville, Trudy Cunningham, Environment and Sustainability Officer at the University of Dundee, community representatives, members of the Bonnie Dundee group and others, we took part in a clean-up of the area around Greenmarket and collected bags (and bags!) of rubbish. A couple of photos below!
Part of the litter pick team in action!
Alistair Gibb of Community Spirit Action Group and me at Greenmarket
Leaving aside the “keeping our environment clean” message that Trudy got across on tonight’s STV news, it was really good to see the community spirit that is such a feature of the West End coming to the fore again today.
I was interviewed about the clean-up on Wave 102 news earlier today – click ‘play’ below to listen:
On Tuesday 5th March, a group of us are taking part in another clean-up of parts of the West End. My thanks go to the ever-enthusiastic Trudy Cunningham, Environment and Sustainability Officer at the University of Dundee, for organising the event.
Details below – do please contact Trudy if you are able to take part!
You can download a higher quality PDF version of this poster here.
Earlier today, I took part in the latest meeting of the Balgay Stakeholders’ Group at which City Council Environment Department staff, Friends of Balgay and West End councillors discuss issues at Balgay Hill, Balgay Park and Victoria Park.
Following on from the highly successful West End litter pick and graffiti clean-up last week, the Friends of Balgay are having their own litter pick in Balgay Park next Sunday (27th May) starting outside the Mills Observatory (pictured right) at 2pm – all volunteers very welcome!
Earlier today, around 70 of us spent four hours litter picking and removing graffiti right across the West End – from Lochee Road in the north right down to Riverside Drive in the south.
Helpers included local residents, community groups, local businesses including Barnetts Motor Group and Tesco Riverside, persons on the Community Payback Scheme, local church groups including Jericho House and Mormon Helping Hands and a group of volunteer students from the University of Dundee.
It was great to see such a large group of local people coming together to remove graffiti and litter from the West End. Local residents want the West End to remain a lovely place to live and work in and this huge voluntary effort shows the extent of good community spirit across the West End.
I would like to thank everyone – residents, community groups, businesses, the churches, Community Payback and all others who have helped. I’d also particularly like to highlight the huge effort put together to co-ordinate the clean up that was done by Trudy Cunningham, Environment & Sustainability Officer at the University of Dundee. Trudy’s hard-work and great enthusiasm has been vital in making this community clean-up event a success.
Here’s a few photos from today:
Some of the team at the start of the day
And … some more of the volunteers!
Barnetts Motor Group Team!
Trudy was offering a prize for the most unusual item found – I’ve nominated this – found by Alistair Gibb of Community Spirit Action Group (left) who found this in Roseangle!
A large group of us are getting together later this morning to do a litter and graffiti clean-up of the West End. If you are able to help, just turn up outside Sensation in Greenmarket at 11am.
I was on Radio Tay News about this today – click ‘play’ to listen:
It will be a huge effort right across the West End to remove graffiti and get rid of litter – we are already at over 70 volunteers – so please indicate your support by e-mailing westendcleanup@frasermacpherson.org.uk – many thanks.
I was pleased to be advised by the City Council’s Waste Management Department this week of progress towards implementing a litter protocol for schoolchildren in the city.
Having received complaints from residents over past months about litter left at lunchtimes in the Perth Road area, I have been in touch with both Harris Academy and the Waste Management Department about this. The school has been very proactive in following up complaints and has put staff resource in to tackle it. Being aware that this is not just an issue in the West End, I had asked the Waste Management Department what was being done from a strategic point of view, across the city.
The idea of the litter protocol will mean littering will be treated as anti-social behaviour. Anti-social advice letters issued to those littering, these being copied to the school and parent/guardian, with further action through the anti-social behaviour route where repeat offending takes place.
I am advised that the protocol will be launched as a pilot in the Morgan Academy area once the schools return later this month. As part of the pilot, Waste Management staff will meet Eco schools groups and teachers and also giving a presentation to all pupils. There will also be visits to all food outlets in the area to encourage them to :
1. Reduce the amount of packaging they give out
2. Take a more active role in cleaning up outside their shops
3. Report offenders
A procative approach on the litter issue is to be welcomed and I have requested that the department keeps me updated as to the success and impact of the pilot of the protocol on littering.
As reported in today’s ‘Courier’, over the weekend, I was contacted by residents who were angry at the litter mess on Magdalen Green had been left in by some people picnicking on the Green in the warm weather.
The Green was a fair mess, particularly on Saturday morning, and although the majority of people using the Green in the good weather were very responsible, unfortunately there’s a minority who appear not to care and left the green covered in litter. I think everyone likes to see Magdalen Green well used by people as it’s a lovely place to visit, but we would ask that all act responsibly and pick litter up behind them.
One resident contacted me to express his concern in the following terms :
“I am utterly shocked and disgusted at the rubbish strewn liberally around Magdalen Green. This is an ongoing problem exacerbated by the recent good weather when groups of irresponsible people bring their food and drink to the Green and abandon all thought as to cleaning up afterwards. I have seen it time and time again as a resident overlooking the Green.
“I of course have no objection to people using the Green for leisure activities such as this. There are in fact barbecues provided. Unless however there is a curb to this sort of irresponsibility, I am afraid it will continue to spoil the joy of the Green for the residents and the majority of people using it.
“The area around the bandstand this morning looks like a public dumping ground and there are numerous plastic bags blown into the fencing next to the railway yard.”
I had recently asked the City Council’s Leisure and Communities Department for more litter bins – particularly at the south side of the Green – and bigger ones as I feel the current litter bins are too small to cope with the amount of litter.
The response from the Council on 14th May was that they said they were continuing to “monitor” the litter situation on the Green and, in response to the request for more litter bins, I was told ‘we are conscious that finance is still tight at the moment.’
I have now written again to the City Council saying that more litter bins are vital, that the cleaning regime over warm weekends needs looking at again and there’s a need for better attention to the Green in terms of park rangers’ time.
It is great to see Magdalen Green being well-used but residents’ complaints about the litter mess are very valid and I am hoping for a positive response from Dundee City Council to their concerns.
Above : Some of the litter mess on the Green on Saturday morning
Above : One of the many overflowing bins earlier this morning – rather proving the point about the need for more – and larger – bins on the Green
A useful time at lunchtime yesterday with a joint surgery with Alison McInnes MSP at Dundee University Students’ Association – good in particular to speak with two of the DUSA office bearers about issues affecting the student community and, in particular, how the City Council can assist.
This morning participated in a West End Community Council organised litter pick in the West End – mainly covering Perth Road, Hawkhill and the lanes in between. As you can see from the photos below, it was extremely productive!
Visited the Cyrenians in Soapwork Lane near Bell Street/Meadowside recently about a couple of issues including the lack of a litter bin near their entrance. Took this up with the City Council and Waste Management has now responded positively:
“Hi Fraser, we are arranging for a pole mounted bin to be erected in this area.”
You’ll recall that last month I raised concerns with BT about the condition of the phone box in Milnbank Road (see http://frasermacpherson.blogspot.com/2006/09/fords-lane-good-news-telephone-box.html) – I have e-mailed them again about this and at the same time have raised residents’ concerns about the graffiti on the phone box in Magdalen Place – see below.
Lastly, following residents’ concerns about the lack of a handrail in Pennycook Lane (east side next to sheltered housing) I have raised this with the City Council’s Planning & Transportation Department. Following my request, a similar handrail in nearby Ford’s Lane has been welcomed by residents and a handrail in Pennycook Lane would make a difference in the icy weather.
Since the schools went back for the autumn term, I’ve had a lot of complaints again about the amount of litter being dropped at lunchtimes in the Perth Road shopping area and the area westwards back towards the Harris. Having been in touch with both the Head Teacher at Harris Academy and the Waste Management Department, I’ve had good feedback from both. The feedback from Harris :-
“… start of new term. I have assemblies next week and will raise this again with all pupils. We will also have a senior managers in Perth Road at lunchtime.”
and from Waste Management :
“Am aware this is an ongoing problem that we have addressed on a number of occasions. Despite putting in extra litter bins, it would appear they still prefer to throw litter on the ground. We will continue to be as vigilant as we can through the local beat man and I will also get our Enforcement Officers to monitor the area along with local Police Officer.”
Good to see both the school & City Council taking steps to address this issue.
Cllrs Fraser Macpherson and Michael Crichton 