Refuse and rubbish collection in the Brighton and Hove area have once again come under criticism from many locals fed up with strong winds blowing litter across streets and parks in the city.
Many residents acknowledge the good work that has gone into providing the city with more new and improved bins, but are still left frustrated by the overflow of rubbish that consistently collects around the foot of bins every week approaching collection day.
With increasing numbers of residents becoming aware of the crucial importance of recycling if we are to combat the damage we are collectively doing to the environment with our fetish for packaging and waste, demand is surely increasing on recycling facilities in the area.
Many Brighton and Hove residents have contacted us about the routine pile up of recyclable rubbish found consistently around bins and on street corners as collection day approaches. The problem is all the more frustrating for residents who are seeing materials that would otherwise be sent to recycling plants being blown out of overfull bins as winds sweep through the seaside streets.
Jane, 42, expressed the tension she feels that the problem represents:
“Clearly the overfilling of recycling bins shows an increased awareness of how and where we should be recycling. It’s not like the rubbish isn’t in the right place. But the buildings on my road have been turned into flats with increased number of occupants which is always going to put pressure on the local services in the area. We want to recycle to recycle but there needs to be more space in bins for roads with more people”
Maureen, 50, added that:
“The recycling bins on our street are all sitting there with broken lids, so as soon as there’s any wind they flap up and expose the rubbish”
Whilst this must be seen as a cause for concern for a city led by a political party whose raison d’être centres around environmental issues, and one characterised, at least in stereotype, by a population of ecologically concerned citizens, there is a certain irony at play. Residents and political forces encourage and participate in recycling to help minimise the damage we are doing to nature, yet the wind, as a force of nature, keeps blowing our rubbish back onto the street.
Let us know how you think this issue can be solved. Is it a matter of more bins? Better bins? More frequent collections? Or simply a drive towards less consumption?
