Final garden waste collections of 2017

The York Council is urging residents to make the most of the final round of garden waste collections, which start on Monday (20 November).

The next fortnight is the final chance for the 67,000 homes to fill their green bins with autumn leaves, cuttings and windfall fruit, with the service restarting on Easter Monday (April 2)

Anyone who misses that last collection can still take their waste to York’s two household waste recycling centres, which remain open every day except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

New rubbish and recycling calendars have been delivered to every household in the city over the last two months. City centre properties with St Nick’s recycling collections will receive their calendars by the end of November.

The calendars also contain details of this year’s Christmas collection arrangements – there are no waste collections on the week of Christmas Day, but every household will get an extra rubbish collection either the week before or after Christmas.

If you’ve miss-placed your calendar, you can:

Neil Ferris, corporate director for economy and place, said: “This is a great opportunity to get the garden tidied in the run-up to Christmas. The Green Bins are very popular, making a big contribution to the 40,000 tonnes of waste we saved from going to landfill last year. I’d also like to remind people to that collection times are not the same every week, so please make sure that bins are out by 7am on your collection day.”

What goes in your garden waste:

Yes please

Leaves and bark
Grass cuttings and hedge clippings
Cut flowers and house plants
Garden plants and flowers
Windfall fruit
Twigs and small branches
Non invasive garden weeds
Pot plant compost
Straw bedding from small vegetarian pets, such as rabbits
Christmas trees and wreaths must be inside the bin, so please chop them up

No thanks

Soil and rubble, coal, BBQ charcoal
Nappies
Plastic, paper, cardboard and other packaging
General household rubbish
Food or other kitchen waste
Large whole branches
Invasive weeds such as Japanese knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Ragwort (seek advice on safe disposal from the Environment Agency)
Plant pots
Pet and animal waste from cats and dogs

Join Andrew Waller and Chapelfields residents for the Big Estate Clean Up tomorrow (Saturday)

Volunteers have started work on a major clean-up of the Chapelfields estate.  Work was undertaken cleaning and strimming the Community Centre forecourt and surrounding grassed areas on Bramham Road on Thursday.

On Saturday it is hoped that all Chapelfields residents will join in and clean up the area outside their homes.

Gardening equipment has been loaned to the project by the City of York Council.

Attention is being paid to communal and public areas, but residents are also being asked to ensure that private hedges and trees are cut back from footpaths.

The project is being sponsored by the Westfield Ward Committee.

On Saturday, volunteers are asked to assemble at Sanderson Court Community Centre on Bramham Road from 9:00am

Waste dealer faces prison for flytipping in Thoresby Road area in York

A waste dealer who claimed to be properly licenced was yesterday (8th November) found guilty of 19 charges of illegal collection and waste disposal, including dumping asbestos.

He awaits sentencing on 21 December 2017 when he faces being sent to prison.

In February and March 2017, 13 incidents of fly tipping were found on verges, alleys, in a playing field and on a private drive, in the Thoresby Road area. The waste was from bathroom refits by a plumbing firm, which had employed who they believed was a licenced scrap and waste collector.

The firm paid Mr Pipes in cash to remove the waste which included old toilets and baths, tiles and timber. In a rubble bag, a receipt was found by an estate worker, who reported the tips to the council’s neighbourhood enforcement team. They traced the waste back to the plumbing firm, and Mr Pipes failed to provide proper paperwork, evidence of a waste carrier’s licence or a scrap metal dealer’s licence.

In March and April 2017 Mr Pipes and his van were seen four times – and were photographed – disposing of large amounts of waste in a litter bin at Beech Grove, Acomb.

Mr Pipes entered a guilty plea of fly tipping around York, carrying waste and scrap without the relevant licences and failing to produce proper paperwork for the disposal of waste.

The movement of waste is regulated to ensure that it does not cause pollution and is treated safely at every stage. All businesses which produce waste must keep paperwork to prove how they dispose of waste and council officers will investigate carrying and disposal.

Cllr Andrew Waller, executive member for the environment, said: “The punishment imposed by York Crown Court reflects the severity of these offences. Fly-tipping is unsightly, anti-social, can pollute the land it’s dumped on and creates considerable cost for City of York Council to clear. Anyone with a business which buys or sells scrap metal must register as a dealer with every local authority where they wish to operate, and in addition, anyone carrying waste must register with the Environment Agency.

“While they are responsible for safe disposal, people who hire them must also check the carriers are properly licensed or they themselves could risk a criminal record.”

For information on commercial waste and residents’ responsibilities go to www.york.gov.uk/waste or visit the Environment Agency at www.gov.uk/guidance/access-the-public-register-for-environmental-information. To report fly-tipping, illegal waste disposal or concerns about waste dealer’s licencing, please contact neo.york.gov.uk .

Acomb Green Lane trader falls foul of waste laws – fined £670

Waste carriers in York are being urged to ensure they are properly licenced to collect, carry and dispose of waste, following a prosecution today (7 November) of illegal activity.

David Grierson, aged 67 of Green Lane, York, pleaded guilty to two charges of unlicenced handling of commercial waste. York Magistrates Court gave him a 24-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £650.32 prosecution costs and a £20 court surcharge.

Mr Grierson who runs Green Lane Carpets, Acomb was found carrying waste from his business when he was stopped on 10 March as part of a joint operation with North Yorkshire Police and Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs.

This routine enforcement action involved stopping and searching business vehicles to determine whether they were complying with the legal requirements relating to waste carrying and waste transfer.

Mr Grierson failed to produce a copy of authority to transport controlled waste and failed to produce waste information. He was served with two notices requesting to produce the correct licence and documents, failed to do so and was served with a fixed penalty notice that he failed to acknowledge or pay.

Lower Tier waste licences are free and are required by traders carrying their own waste. Traders carrying other peoples waste require Upper Tier licences which cost £250.

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Front Street greengrocer faces arrest

Shop could close following food safety investigation

The Press are reporting that the owner of the greengrocers shop on Front Street could be banned from the food industry following a food inspection which found rats in the building.

An appalling series of photographs of the shop have been published.

“Food hygiene officer Kerry Bell told the court she found rat droppings on the shop floor and food display shelves, broken food packages and signs that rats had been eating the food inside them at Gary Michael Anderson’s greengrocers.

The shop, in the main shopping street in Acomb, York, stank and had mouldy blackberries, satsumas and bananas for sale”.

“Magistrates praised the two council departments for their work. During the investigation, the council closed the shop premises until they were properly cleaned, the waste food removed and the rats were eliminated, but allowed Anderson to sell from the pavement outside provided all stock was kept in his van overnight”.

Bench chairman Ian Nicholson said: “He persistently refused to take measures to protect customers.

“We found a flagrant disregard of the law over a protracted period. Multiple attempts were made to assist Mr Anderson, which he largely ignored.

“This is an appalling example of putting other businesses at risk, and we suspect the public too.”

They heard evidence that the rats left their traces in the upper room of a neighbouring charity shop that was used by elderly volunteers to sort through public donations.

Wild flower conservation work on Bachelor Hill amenity area this week

Extensive conservation work is taking place on the Bachelor Hill amenity area this week.

Wild flowers were planted on the area a few years ago.

An section of Bachelor Hill is now managed as a wildflower grassland. The Council leaves it through the growing season to flower and set seed.

Cutting and removing the arisings takes place in late summer/autumn to maintain low nutrients (which promotes species diversity).

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) were there today cutting and are returning tomorrow to remove the arisings.

We’ve suggested that bark or wood chippings be put down at the Askham Lane entrance to the area to ensure that access is possible in wet weather.  The weeds and grass also need to be strimmed from the gate.

The similar path at the Tennent Road entrance (see below) seems to be working well.

Bark path needed at Askham Lane entrance to Bachelor Hill

Entrance to Bachelor Hill from Tennent Road

 

Vital road link resurfaced as wind brings down branches in parts of Westfield

The Council has finished resurfacing the carriageway linking Askham Lane and The Green. The road had become badly potholed with the road humps posing a particular threat for cyclists. The Council completed the resurfacing work this week

In the same area, residents continue to complain about vehicles parked on the bend. They obstruct traffic and cause sight line problems. The Council will be asked to consider introducing restrictions on this section of road.

Recent winds have brought down several branches from trees in the Wetherby Road and Askham Lane areas. The problems has been exacerbated by lack of routine maintenance to highways trees in recent years. In some cases branches are fouling over head communications cables while in others public footpaths have been obstructed. It is hoped that some maintenance work will take place this winter.

Volunteers start to clean up Foxwood park

Foxwood Residents Association Volunteers made a start on clearing dead vegetation from the Foxwood Park this morning. 

It is hoped that a bulb planting day will be organised next week 

The cycle path markings on Bellhouse Way have been repainted. Much improved for both cyclists and pedestrians