So much has popped up on my litter radar over the past few weeks …

First, as you may have already seen on Facebook or Twitter,
the bin on the corner of Malmesbury Road and Wedmore Avenue has been replaced
with a larger one, which will hopefully end (or at least limit) the overflow.  Many thanks to Wiltshire Council for seeing
to this.

image

Also in the news, quite literally, the mayor of Chippenham
has stepped forward and asked that everyone in Chippenham pick up a few pieces
of litter on 1 May as part of a “Chippenham Litter Pick”.  This is an instance where I really hope my
pessimistic side is proven wrong and that people get behind the campaign (and also
pick up one or two pieces of litter the other 364 days a year as well!).

Why the pessimism?  There
are so many who say “It’s not my job” or “It’s someone else’s responsibility
when it comes to litter.  People point to
the fact that they pay taxes as an indication as to why they can’t be bothered
to pick up a piece or two of rubbish, without grasping the fact that the money
spend on litter clean up is completely preventable and could go towards other
services.  I personally view this
attitude as different sides of the same coin: one causes the problem, the other
refuses to do anything about it.

I mentioned just a few weeks ago about how great it was to
work with the students at Queen’s Crescent School because they saw littering
very much as a black and white subject: it is wrong, it is naughty, it
shouldn’t be done. And because they
viewed the world in this way, they were happy to get stuck in to right a wrong
and pick up litter. Why do adults see so
many shades of grey where none actually exist?

But I also must admit that there are signs that things are changing in
Chippenham: other clean ups are starting to occur.  If you are interested in organising a regular
clean up in your patch, please get in touch.
Whether you just want to do a weekly walk with friends, or organise a
public litter pick, it would be great if we could all coordinate activities.

And, finally, regarding the “Black Swamp Grot Spot”, I have
heard zip, zilch, nada from Clean for the Queen despite a number of messages
directed their way.  I am currently
waiting to hear from another contact, and hope to have something to report on
this soon.

UPDATE (14 April): Clean for the Queen has gotten in touch, but I still have no information as to when the area will be cleaned.  Stay tuned as the saga continues.

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *