Yesterday we paid a visit to my adopted hometown of Bristol to watch
the early morning launch of 100+ hot air balloons as they took part in
the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. Being 6:00am on a Saturday meant that we
saw a different side of Bristol than the one Tourist Information would
like to show: rubbish covered the pavements from bags that had been torn
open in the night, bins sat in the midst of rubbish and recycling that
people either couldn’t bother to actually place in the bin or which didn’t fit, and litter dotted the park around Brandon Hill.
On the bright side, the rubbish shown in these pictures WAS collected
before 8:00am, and at least much of it was near a bin. However, the
sheer amount of waste and lack of responsibility is staggering. Unless
something is done soon to change norms and behaviour, this negative
spiral is likely to continue and worsen.
Greetings from Bristol? The first sight upon walking up Brandon Hill.
Me, my shadow, and a whole bunch of rubbish.
Everyone else watches the balloons, I look at the rubbish.
I think this is how a lot of litter gets spread in the urban environment,
I have my eye on you.
Now
clean, this is actually a decent bin – it’s clear that it’s for both
litter AND dog waste (not single use), and has recycling (although not
sure if glass is included). Still have to practically put your hand
inside to use it unfortunately.