Litter Pick June 8th Back of Sittingbourne High Street

Litter Pick, a set on Flickr.
click on pic to to enlarge 

Today June 8th from 11-1pm  The crew, Susannah, Colin and myself went out with the 10th Scout Group Sittingbourne. We all met at Roman Square and attempted to do a litter pick behind the shops and alley ways of Sittingbourne High Street. We had our usual gear - bags, litter pickers, gloves, buckets, brooms and high viz jackets. There where about 30 of us including grown ups. We were ready to find the rubbish.

Well! the boys and girls aged from 6-15yrs were disgusted and the adults shocked. Who is responsible for all this litter, rubbish, flytipping etc?.

I was also so disappointed at the amount that had accumulated since I choose this spot. Commercial food waste had just been left in open black sacks, loads and loads of plastic and cardboard packaging and books, clothes and other horrid things that we can't speak about were all found. Plus 1,000's of cigarette butts lay on the paths and sides outside shop doors and back entrances.

Who has done this to our town? and who is cleaning it up?  Well today it was 6-15yrs olds - as they did care.

We are so lucky in Sittingbourne to have open and green spaces behind our high street and the buildings themselves are really beautiful and interesting many with real historic merit. I was also surprised how many people use these spaces as a walk through and an alternative to walking in the High Street. These spaces should be utilised and cared for.

Remember its not everyone, I know alot of people who do care but what is wrong with some of our businesses, landlords, shop owners, shop tenants, shop users infact anyone using public spaces!  Its the small minority that keep spoiling it for all of us.  Everyone can do something about this problem right now and it would improve the High Street's image straight away.  DO NOT LEAVE OR DROP LITTER.Report your neighbour, report the shop you know who leaves commercial foods stuff or packaging. Lets shame and blame! Lets make Sittingbourne the clean and green space it should be.

It doesn't cost anything to take pride in where you live. 

Swale Borough Council spend £1.5 million of our money cleaning the streets of the rubbish that people have dumped or dropped, often deliberately. There are bins and everyone is responsible. Imagine what could have been done with this money. More bins, parks and open spaces, flowers, less potholes, after school and youth projects etc. Personally, I think the council do a great job on the high Street but as the land behind the shops is private as the law stands at the moment can not go on it to clean it. 

Swale Borough Council can enforce penalties.

Contact the environmental wardens 

http://www.swale.gov.uk/contact-us/

or phone 01795 01795 417850 and ask for them.

We picked up over 30 bags of general litter, 3 buckets of bottles and 3 bags of cans plus 1 hypodermic syringe! But really didn't and couldn't even touch the surface of this area.