Rubbish dumping and problems with waste are big problems for us all in Fitzrovia – and are certainly issues that come up with regularity at all of our meetings.
So we are pleased to share with you some of the steps that are being taken by Westminster Council to deal with this issue.
Here is a communication from Rob McCrae, the Senior City Inspector at Westminster Council about what is happening this week:
I would like to update you on the upcoming plans for a Waste Action Squad to tackle the challenge of dumped waste and littering. The Waste Action Squad will be a multi-agency team working with the community to identify effective solutions to address dumping hotspots through a trial programme, across Westminster.
This will start on Monday 24th October 2022 with a week of action focused on hotspots within the Fitzrovia ward area.
The key objectives for the team are:
· To provide a highly visible operation that shows this is an area of focus and that we are acting against persistent problems.
· To engage residents in a meaningful conversation about waste problems in their neighbourhood. To gather insight into how these could be tackled together and educate on the best ways of disposing of their waste to keep their streets clean and tidy.
· To create an action plan following the engagement to tackle these issues.
Below is a timeline for the week of engagement, the Waste Action Squad will be available at various different times on different days throughout the week, from 11am through to 9pm around the area providing education and enforcement on street and engaging with our residents and businesses.
Day & Time |
Area |
Monday PM: 14:00 – 16:00 Nightime: 19:00 – 21:00 |
AM: James Street j/w Oxford Street Gazebo PM: Bird Street/Barratt Street
|
Tuesday PM: 11:00 – 13:00 Nightime: 15:30 – 17:30 |
AM: Great Portland Street Gazebo PM: Great Titchfield Street
|
Wednesday AM: 10:00 – 12:00 PM: 15:00- 17:00 |
AM: Wells Street
PM: Market Place (South) Gazebo
|
Thursday AM: 12:00 – 14:00 PM: 16:00 – 18:00 |
AM: Langham Street
PM: Foley Street
|
Friday AM: 12:00 – 14:00 PM: 16:00 – 18:00
|
AM: Hanson Street
PM: New Cavendish Street
|
I’m sorry to have missed you in Langham Street earlier,. As you probably know, there is a hot spot on the corner of Gosfield St and Langham St (opposite my flat). I’ve been complaining about it for years, and was sorry the big bins there were removed. It was said it encouraged dumping; now we have the dumping without the bins.
I feel that one of the problems is that the refuse collectors (who I think do an excellent job) gather all the bags from Gosfield St and put them in that spot, which encourages people to think that is the place to put rubbish. The problem is that the big waste lorries have a problem getting down that narrow street. My thought is that the council should use A SMALL LORRY to gather the bags from Gosfield Street.
I’ve always felt plastic bags are insanitary (birds, rats), and would like us all to have bins, which always used to be the case in many areas, and still is in many parts of the city. Failing that, more big bins. We should be avoiding the use of plastic anyway.
Thanks for this initiative.
Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer. We will make sure your comments are passed onto the Council.