Students, rubbish and recycling

A review of the way that students dispose of their rubbish in York has been published.

It is fair to say that the accumulation of piles of rubbish in areas with a high student population has been a cause of friction in the past. This usually peaks at the end of term when students move out.

Issues have included:

rubbish and recycling put out at the wrong time/day/place
waste not properly disposed of at the end of term/end of year
complaints from other residents about waste issues
low levels of recycling

rubbish-monk-bar-car-park It is likely that areas with a large student population may be targeted to increase recycling. A move from black sacks to the use of wheeled bins may also be considered.

In 2014 and 2015 dedicated end of year clear out programmes took place in both areas of student housing, co-ordinated by the Smarter York and NE officers. These involved the following activities:

Leaflets delivered to all affected student households in May detailing the options for recycling/reuse/disposal of waste
Extra rubbish and recycling collections organised on designated dates/times for both housing areas (in 2014 there were 4 extra dates, in 2015 there was one extra date)
Charity reuse banks sited in key locations and students encouraged to donate suitable items: Monk Bar Car Park corner of Kent Street and Barbican Road, corner of Garrow Hill Avenue, Jaipur Spice Car Park, Londis at Penleys Grove Street
Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) – students with student union cards are allowed take waste to Hazel Court using van/trailer without the need to apply for permits. Use will be monitored by staff at the HWRC to ensure that valid student union cards for the York learning establishments are only accepted and that the number of occasions each student uses the service is reasonable.

Poor weather and neglect taking its toll on public service standards in west York

Bramham Grove carriageway needs patching

Damage to a telecoms cabinet on Bramham Road

"Fags ends" accummulating outside the shops on Bramham Road

“Fags ends” accumulating outside the shops on Bramham Road

…….and detritus at the former entrance to Lowfields School on Dijon Avenue. Reported 2 months ago but no action by the Council yet

A lot of detritus on the footpath at the entrance to The Wandle

Garage areas still a problem. Now we have dumping on The Kingsway West area.

Garage areas still a problem. Now we have dumping in the Kingsway West area.

Detritus , leaves and litter on the Grange Lane cycle path entrance

Dumping at Acomb Car Park recycling point

Fridge dumped in Chapelfields

Can banks on Acomb Car Park full. Cnas being hung on skip

Can banks on Acomb Car Park full. Cans being hung on skip

Leaf detritus on little Green Lane in Acomb – was reported 3 weeks ago!!

Similar leaf fall on The Green, Acomb

All these issues have been reported for action using https://www.fixmystreet.com/

Post bank holiday clean up needed in York

The school holidays seems to have increased pressure on some public services.

The Fix My Street web site (click) has a map showing all the reports made through their site concerning issues in the York area.

The map does not,of course, show issues which have been reported direct to the Council. However the only way that we will see a sustained improvement in public services in the city is for ordinary citizens to report every issue that they see.

Below are a selection of the issues that we have reported over the last few days.

Dumping on Chesneys Field

Full litter bin

Full poop scoop bin

Weeds on riverside walk

Council to support students and charity during end of term rubbish clear up

As part of this year’s campaign for a tidy end to the academic year, City of York Council is working with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to back its fundraising, and support students to recycle and dispose of waste responsibly.

In this, the third year of the campaign, the council will be making extra collections of grey bins or bags – whichever are usually collected – on Saturday 27 June in The Groves, Hull Road and Fishergate areas. Students leaving their accommodation for the summer and residents will both feel the benefit and are being urged to make the most of this opportunity.

Besides putting out their waste, local people and students will be encouraged to donate to BHF items suitable for sale, at 10 permanent clothing banks at key drop off points located across the city and university campuses.

These will be collected by the charity and sold as part of its Fight For Every Heartbeat campaign.

Information leaflets and maps of BHF collection bin locations and BHF collection bags will shortly be distributed to households in the three areas.

Last year 1,899 bags were collected through BHF’s special collection bins. Each had an average weight of 8.2 kilos, yielding a total 15.6 tonnes of donations which, using BHF’s estimate that each bag has a £20 value, £37,980 was raised for the British Heart Foundation by York residents and students.
(more…)

Whatever happened to York’s salvage and re-use centre?

Well we know that it was one of the first cuts that Labour made when they took office in 2011.

The project was to have replaced the Beckfield Lane recycling centre but would have offered much more.

Its priority would have been to encourage the re-use of unwanted items. Currently only informal on-line groups like Freecycle address this need.

Only when the re-use option was exhausted would materials have been salvaged. For example, there is a ready market for building materials such as timber, bricks and hard-core.

Not only was the Beckfield Lane site closed but the replacement – which would probably have been located at Harewood Whin – was also scrapped.

In part the decision contributed to the decline in recycling rates in the City and an inexorable rise in Landfill Tax costs.

The £2 million salvage centre would have paid for itself by now.

Sadly many residents resort to dumping items. One armchair has found its way onto a verge on Gale Lane today. Although some of these items are picked up by “rag and bone” men, many have to be removed by the Council.

Dumped mattresses are a particular problem for those lacking transport to get to the remaining 2 civic tips.

The York Council now charges £40 to remove up to 10 bulky waste items

Small wonder that so many residents are petitioning their objections to reduced waste collection frequencies and the prospect of a £35/£37 pa charge for emptying green garden waste bins.

Thoresby Road rubbish removed

Council workers have cleared the rubbish from near the flats in Thoresby Road. It had been there for nearly a week.

Some tenants had been storing surplus items on balconies and in communal areas. Following a recent fire, the Council asked for areas to be kept clear.

Unfortunately a promised rubbish wagon did not arrive to coincide with the clear out. Some residents then added to the pile of rubbish

Perfect Storm

Council official blame a series of factors for the problems.

Reduced bin emptying frequencies and the closure of the nearest recycling centre on Beckfield Lane contributed.

Many tenants didn’t have their own transport and the skips provided through the residents association were coming less frequently than in the past.

Even the Councils paid for bulky rubbish removal service only takes certain types of rubbish.

Things look set to get worse as Labour roll out their £35 green bin emptying charge while their policy of emptying grey bins only once every 3 or 4 weeks could produce a “perfect storm” for dumpers.

Residents can sign a petition opposing further reductions to the bins emptying service by clicking here.

The Liberal Democrats have promised, if they are elected to lead the Council again on May 7th, that they will re-introduce ward budgets. In the past these funds have been used to stage recycling days when a convoys of waste vehicles tour the ward removing unwanted items.

LibDem candidate takes action over Thoresby Road dumping

Sheena Jackson with some of the rubbish she is getting cleared.

LibSheena Jackson with some of he rubbish she is getting cleared.

Rubbish dumped in Thoresby Road

Liberal Democrat Sheena Jackson has asked the Council to quickly remove rubbish for the front of flats in the Thoresby Road area.

It is believed that some of the rubbish was previously stored in stairway areas causing a fire risk. But it appears that oficials when clearing the area failed to have a skip on hand to take it away immediately.

This led to more dumping.

Litter drift has now added to the unsightly problems.

It is hoped that the rubbish will be removed today.

York Council neglect still to be addressed

Fly tipping on Council garage areas

Leaves blocking drains in Green Lane

With the York Council seemingly preoccupied with internal political discussions, service standards continue to decline.

There is a lack of preparedness for winter. Salt bins have no lids and the contents are leeching onto the streets and adding to the problems with blocked gullies.

Some bus routes – including the number 26 which provides a lifeline service for elderly people living in the Windsor Garth and St Stephens Road areas – are still excluded from the de-icing schedules with little chance of a review before the worst of the winter weather hits the City.

Bus stop waiting areas over grown

Salt bins left without lids. This one is in Woodford Place

Perhaps the worst examples of neglect can be found on some of the City’s Council estates. Areas without an active residents association fare particularly badly with many communal areas, garage forecourts and verges all in a desperate condition

Poor footpaths, litter and dumping – time for the York Council to take notice

Dangerous footpaths

The York Council needs to get a grip of the growing number of issues affecting the estates that it is responsible for managing.

Litter

Dumping

Dozens of issues are being reported to the Council with little feedback.

A petition has been started in Chapelfields asking the Council to improve parking arrangements and provide better maintenance of communal areas

Shameful lack of maintenance on Chapelfields garage areas

Marston Avenue garage area

Labour Councillors plan to spend Thursday siting in a room on Front Street hoping that residents will come along and “tell them what is wrong”.

If they want to know. all they have to do is take a walk round the area.

On Chapelfields, for example, despite the Council having a record high surplus on its rent account (£13 million!), garage areas have been abandoned and are now overgrown and pothole riddled while some have become dumping grounds.

York deserves much better.

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