Rubbish is becoming a major challenge the world over and the south west region is no exception. IAN BAILEY has some ideas on how we can tackle this issue at the local level:
There is no need to alert this Council about the constant dumping of rubbish and blatant disregard for clean and tidy streets in the city and suburbs of Liverpool. Wilful dumping has been a feature of our landscapes for decades.
These days, there is more waste than ever. Very few consumer goods are repaired. They are simply discarded.
There is no free tip for ratepayers. Doing the right thing and using a rubbish tip is very expensive.
There is now a depot for toxic waste at Rose Street, which was a good initiative. However, I recently discovered that there is a strict limit to the quantity of materials which can be delivered in one load. That is a disincentive for people to return.
Council’s policy of two collections per household per year is inadequate and does not work. It can take up to six weeks to have the equivalent of one box trailer of waste collected. One old lounge is enough to fill a trailer. What do we do with the chairs?
White-goods and mattresses are collected separately with further delays to removal.
Many items will not be collected by Council. Council’s website and various notices in brochures and on bin lids, have some suggestions but many items are not included. There is a long list of rubbish Council will not collect. They will be the first things dumped on the streets.
This Council and its Council neighbours need to address urgently the mounting levels of rubbish. Residents, especially at MUDs, have nowhere to store unwanted items.
Out they go-at night, without any identification.
As Council’s collection policy is not working, new ideas and policies should be trialled.
Here are some suggestions:
• Sunday night dumping: All rubbish put out after dark every Sunday night and cleaned up by a fleet of trucks early on the Monday morning.
• Large skip bins near unit blocks, exchanged as frequently as needed.
• Four or six notified pick-ups per year (rather than 2) by letterbox drop.
• Free rubbish tips for ratepayers.
• Collection of all kinds of waste, not just selected items.
• A multi-council blitz, one LGA at a time, to catch dumpers 24 hours a day.
• Fenced areas for rubbish in small parks to keep rubbish out of sight.
Council should be a leader in providing a standard and an example of the way we look after Liverpool. There must also be a range of penalties that are firmly advertised and regularly applied to offenders. Council bought a number of infra-red cameras. Are they being used?
Liverpool is booming and we all know that the population will explode over the next few years.
But those of us who have been here a long time and done the right thing with our rubbish and waste are looking to have the city well maintained and the value of our properties maximised.
Council can do better and must do better.
*Ian Bailey, who presented the above case on rubbish at the meeting of Liverpool Council last night, is a member of Liverpool Action Group.
