It was a lovely weekend in London due to the good weather. It was known it was going to be. The forecasts were accurate. Therefore it was predictable that many more people than usual would have picnics in our local parks.
Yet as these pictures sent to me from a local residents show the bins in Ravenscourt Park were not able to cope with the litter.
There is nothing new about this. Last year I wrote to the Council to say:
“We need more bins (and/or more frequent bin collections) in
Ravenscourt Park – especially in the summer. This is not just when
there are special events in the park. Routinely in the summer the bins
are overflowing.
“It would make sense for Quadrant to accommodate this request as it
would reduce litter. Emptying bins must be less work for them than
picking up litter.”
This was rejected by the Council who said:
“Adding new bins will impact upon the budget and also add clutter to the park itself which has historically been a concern raised by local residents. Whilst we appreciate that adding more bins may lessen the need to litter pick directly, it will increase the need for collection to empty the bins, again impacting on the labour resource.”
It still seems to me obvious that either we need more bins or they need to be emptied more quickly.
Even when the bins are not overflowing there is the problem of the lack enforcement for those dropping litter.
So far this year the litter bugs have operated with impunity in Ravenscourt Park. The Council tell me:
“We have not noticed any specific litter offences but will always issue a Fixed Penalty Notice if we see litter being deposited – from a cigarette butt to drinks cans or larger items. ”
There has also been a decline in the £80 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling. There were 37 issued in our parks in 2014 but 11 last year. Yet complaints have increased – from 541 in 2014 to 716 last year.
Local parks should be sanctuaries for beauty and recreation.
This slide in the standard of cleanliness is unacceptable.
Hammersmith and Fulham Forum 
Why doesn’t this surprise me! I’ve reported so many incidents of rubbish and fly-tipping via the report it app hoping that it would help the Council address the issue. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked as it’s still a major problem.
There is rubbish on my street that has been there since last week!
Whenever I return to Hammersmith from a journey to another part of the UK or wider world, I am always struck by how untidy the place is. Pavements covered with chewing gum, bags of rubbish on the pavements, cigarette butts in gutters, bits of litter everywhere and often overflowing bins.
We seem to have given up on efforts to change this behaviour. But it must be possible as you can go to large cities in the US or Germany and see nothing like it.
We need to stop thinking that inner city areas need to be like this. They don’t. And stop wheeling out the standard excuses about ‘transient renters’ being the root of these kinds of problems in residential areas.
It is not the panacea but enforcement is a major part of the solution. We seem to have given up on it completely. Stand outside the underground stations in the town centre for 10 minutes and I guarantee you will see someone toss litter or drop a cigarette butt. Over the course of a couple of hours an enforcement officer could probably issue at least a dozen tickets, meaning a dozen people will now think twice and also tell friends and family about their misfortune. Time and money well spent.
It’s a real shame how badly people treat our parks. Shepherd’s Bush Green is a sea of litter every morning. Enforcement is tricky but the Council could surely try harder.
These pictures show the nocturnal activities of foraging foxes, not litter louts. We would all like to see this mess cleared up as quickly as possible, but sadly parks are not part of statutory funding and local government cutbacks are having a significant impact on them across London. Anyone for a volunteer litter-picking squad?
PS The outsourced management is called Quadron, not Quadrant. They have recently been taken over by a French company called Idverde.