Litter on the streets of Sydenham

[Pally]

I'll help if I am around. Anyone else noticed the growing and growing numbers of piled up rubbish bags next to bins in the morning ...clearly put there by businesses, often with waste food etc spilling out!! ? Noticed in Southwark there is a campaign on this and a business was fined ...saw it in Metro few days ago I think or might have been another free paper?

[Newtosydenham]

Hi all,

Great to hear the support! It is open to all- Todlers included! I plan on bringing my dog along as it will be like one big game of fetch for him...

I have created an event on the Keep Britain Tidy website. It is to take part in the Great British Spring Clean on Saturday 3rd March and I have called it 'Friends of Sydenham Spring Clean'. I have suggested we meet outside the Golden Lion Pub at 11am, however am keen for input on a route/ alternative meeting point (it just wouldn't let me create an event without a meeting point). What do you guys think?

Anyone can log on to the website and join (by searching for SE26). http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/home

Does anyone have any links to any local businesses to see about getting them involved, at least to spread the word? Equally if anyone can help me spread the word it would be much appreciated!

Many thanks!

P.S- I am very proud of myself for embedding the below image..

[Sydenhamresident]

Excellent. I'd like to nominate Fairlawn Park to be on the route please. It's a mess.

[sherlomi]

As far as fly tipping goes Lewisham Council will take away large household items like sofas etc
for I believe five pounds per item. A few years ago we wanted to get rid of my mothers old sofa
and went online to Bromley Council website and were shocked at how much they wanted to come
and take it away. I cant remember the exact figure. I sometimes wonder whether sofas. armchairs,
cabinets are being dumped by Bromley residents in our are. Maybe I am being a tad paranoid
but just a thought.

[OnCrestOfHill]

Glad to see someone organising something. Hope to join you in March.

[Pally]

Oh dear I'm not around Sydenham that weekend ...so sorry! Hope it goes well

[JRobinson]

we need to get the message to school children that it's not ok to drop litter in the street, and over time that will filter upwards. Far too often I see school kids dropping litter, and it's obvious that they don't care, or don't realise the implications. They're not giving it a second thought, it's just something that they naturally do - there's no brain-hand-thought-action going on that says 'this is litter' 'this should go in a bin' 'there's a bin' 'put litter in bin' - it just seems to be "I've finished this burger, wrapper isn't needed, drop wrapper"

I remember dropping litter at school on two occasions, once an empty drinks can, once a chewing gum wrapper, and both times I had a loud shout from a school teacher, I went back and picked it up and put it in a bin, and I don't recall dropping litter again.

[stuart]

Yes - the area by the old Sydenham Police Station opposite Sydenham School is absolutely appalling collection of ready meal debris the kids have collected from up Dartmouth Road. If, perhaps, the headteacher got a squad of them to clear up it would make their environment so much better and maybe encourage them not to make more work for themselves.

Is anybody able to have a quiet word?

Stuart

PS: The school governors may also wish to reflect on why this junk food is more appealing than school dinners. An important educational message appears to have gone astray.

[JMLF]

Unfortunately there will be areas that amass more rubbish/fly-tipping for all sorts of reasons but there seems a common theme for a few of the ar as raised being in close proximity to schools. I walked up Mayow Road a few weeks back and there was a load of rubbish pretty much outside St Philip Neri (or whatever it’s called!) and just round the corner from Forest Hil School. Tredown mentioned Dartmouth Road opposite Sydenham School and the “mess” that is Fairlawn Park also has a School in its corner.

As Tredown mentioned I’d also suggest maybe contacting schools admins/heads to get them aware/involved perhaps and maybe also other schools not raised here to get them understanding importance young e.g.: adamsrill and kelvin grove...

Great work on getting something organised!

[JayB]

On Tuesday pm I was walkiing home along the river walk and 3 girls in school uniform were throwing their plastic milkshake bottles straight into the river from the bridge by the railway crossing.. I asked them if they knew the consequences for wildlife..Predictably, they told me to F Off. (Can't our teachers at least impart the ability to invent some creative invective to the brats?) So i 'd say all the schools could and should do a lot more to educate their charges. Are there teachers and governors on this forum?

Also i think Mayow Road would be good to include on route on the day as it is near three schools. You can follow the "McDonalds" trail from Bell Green to all of them. I have also seen parents/careres decant the rubbush from their cars into the gutters whilst parked by the schools at school run time .- great example.

Perhaps we should leave the bin bags outside McDonalds at the end!

[Pally]

[quote="JayB"] (Can't our teachers at least impart the ability to invent some creative invective to the brats?) So i 'd say all the schools could and should do a lot more to educate their charges. Are there teachers and governors on this forum?/quote]

I agree it is a good idea to contact schools. However schools do a lot already....teenagers do have a tendency to ignore messages when bravado sets in with mates though! And parenmts are the starting point with kids!

[parker]

Perhaps we should leave the bin bags outside McDonalds at the end!

Why? It’s not McDonald’s fault their customers litter half a mile or so up the road. Why would we think of passing the buck for people that choose not to take responsibility for their actions? Besides, I’m sure Lewisham have McDonald’s well and truly covered tax-wise to ensure streets are cleaned, or are Lewisham too busy lining their gold plated pensions with the money instead?

[JMLF]

Newtosydenham,

Have signed up online but doesn’t seem to be any option to choose the Sydenham event to join - is that how it is meant to be? (Figured it would be good for you to know how many people are confirmed etc.) In any case myself and my partner will be there barring any illness etc!

Another thought re: schools would be if any do Saturday detentions (No kids, mo idea what schools do these days!) it would be a great way for more people involved with schools probably thankful for something productive for the kids to do! (Have to say, this idea was my wife’s not mine!)

Much like your project, any word of mouth for the mural would be appreciated too!

Lovely stuff all round.

[KPR]

I think the street cleaners on the high street do a pretty good job really, against all the odds. I see the guy who looks like Steptoe Junior out way before 6am on a regular basis. The side streets seem to get much less regular attention - and quite a lot of the rubbish there is generated by the taxi drivers and others (drug dealers some of them at least) who use the side streets as their waiting areas.

[Steveofsyd]

I’d like to see some signs up
On the street fine for littering , dropping gum, spitting, not clearing dog Poo etc. £20 like if you don’t get your train ticket.
3 strikes in a 6 month period and you get £100 fine on top

I never litter and nor does my Son.
Parents also have a social responsibility to educate and enforce good behaviour.
Schools need to push the agenda more and concentrate on simple small littering as well as the bigger environmental issues.

[leenewham]

Perhaps we should leave the bin bags outside McDonalds at the end!

Why? It’s not McDonald’s fault their customers litter half a mile or so up the road. Why would we think of passing the buck for people that choose not to take responsibility for their actions? Besides, I’m sure Lewisham have McDonald’s well and truly covered tax-wise to ensure streets are cleaned, or are Lewisham too busy lining their gold plated pensions with the money instead?

It's partly their responsibility for generating disposable containers that are difficult to recycle (you can't recycle them if they are greasy) and huge amounts of waste they generate. I'd tax them on takeaway cartons and remove tax on reusable, washable food containers used in store.

People need to take responsibility for their actions, but so do corporations that have created the throwaway culture.

[Steveofsyd]

Oh for goodness sake stop always picking on McDs etc. It’s the people dropping the litter not the paper bags jumping out of innocent hands on to the ground. Grow up and accept responsibility for your actions I say. We seem now to have a culture that blames everyone else, especially those that don’t meet certain ideals in some eyes.
Do you think Singapore, Switzerland etc don’t have takeaways or rubbish? Of course they do but the people aren’t the pigs that seem to frequent our high streets.
As I said some good enforcement and a bit of public flogging (yes I’m joking) would help.

[stuart]

Excellent. Have you thought of selling that argument to the tobacco companies? After all, its the silly idiots who insist on smoking the product that are responsible for all this so-called cancer scare.

Were you also against the 5p charge on plastic bags? Afrer all it wasn't the supermarkets dumping them all over the place. Should you be absolved of ALL responsibility for the use and indeed misuse of your product?

Stuart

[leenewham]

Oh for goodness sake stop always picking on McDs etc. It’s the people dropping the litter not the paper bags jumping out of innocent hands on to the ground. Grow up and accept responsibility for your actions I say. We seem now to have a culture that blames everyone else, especially those that don’t meet certain ideals in some eyes.
Do you think Singapore, Switzerland etc don’t have takeaways or rubbish? Of course they do but the people aren’t the pigs that seem to frequent our high streets.
As I said some good enforcement and a bit of public flogging (yes I’m joking) would help.

Singapore and Switzerland are having increasing problems with litter due to take away establishments like McDonalds. Swiss Federal Railways, which clears up 45 tons of litter everyday. San Francisco, has a goal of zero waste by 2020, has already diverted 80 per cent of its waste away from landfills and has banned plastic bottles. The ban will soon be extended to all styrofoam products. The Uk has banned those stupid plastic microbeads (which were pointless). I remember Corona in glass bottles that were returnable. Those were the (more sustainable) days.

The likes of McDonalds create the litter and there are alternatives. Businesses can't put all the responsibility on the consumers. If you think like that, nothing will change. Corporations shoudn't be creating such huge amounts of waste in the first place, even if it does find it's way into the bin.

[Steveofsyd]

I thought we were talking about littering not land fill which is a separate argument. Dropping litter is all down to the person doing it. Nothing else.
1. Put it in a bin
2. Drop it on the pavement
The type of litter whether biodegradeable or not is not the issue as far as dropping it in the street or on the bus.
The crime is dropping it ...or are you saying it’s ok to drop the MC D paper bags but not the styrofoam (which incidentally they don’t use)
I do wish people on this forum stopped trying to argue and intellectualise every issue or put people down.
FYI I was in Singapore last month and go at least once a year and it’s a lot lot lot lot cleaner than here.
Oh yes I use my own Waitrose hemp bags thank you and do not use carrier bags.
Jeeeez !