Waste, Litter & Bins – Talking Rubbish…
Waste is part of life, many work hard to reduce it due to the impact on the environment, but it is unlikely we will ever achieve zero waste.
Litter should not be part of life. If waste is disposed of properly – put in a bin, or taken home, it does not become litter, laying about our streets, parks, and much-loved outside spaces.
Prudhoe & Mickley have many more than 100 public bins, all of which are well used. Some are located where they are historically, and it becomes difficult to change their location. Others have been added or upgraded due to need.
Most public bins are installed and maintained by Prudhoe Town Council (excluding some on private land), and they are emptied by Northumberland County Council (NCC) Local Services. Prudhoe Town Council cannot decide to install a bin, without the agreement of NCC Local Services to empty it.
A bin is not always the answer. Often litter is left discarded when there are bins nearby. Groups and individuals regularly go out litter picking in Prudhoe and the town looks much improved as a result. Many of the areas covered by litter picks have bins, but not everyone uses them.
Additional bins will not reduce the amount of litter thrown from cars, neither will they encourage people to pick up after their dogs. If placed well, bins will persuade those who bag dog waste to ‘bin it’, and also those enjoying picnics and outdoor living to dispose of their waste responsibly. Everyone has a bin at home.
Prudhoe Town Council has recently received requests for additional litter bins following the newly opened Tyne View Retail Park. However, the town has been at capacity with litter bins for some time. Bins located off the beaten track often result in fly-tipping; therefore, bins are not supported in these areas for this reason. Where it is clear that a bin will reduce the amount of litter, Prudhoe Town Council and NCC Local Services will work together to achieve this.
There are seven additional litter bins at the new Tyne View Retail Park and McDonalds have a Litter Management Plan, which can be read by clicking on the link below.
Open McDonald’s Litter Management Plan
Those walking from the Retail Park heading along Princess Way will not come upon a litter bin until they reach Prudhoe Castle, Tyne Riverside, or the Piggy Bank. This is viewed as a more vehicular than walking route. Heading into West Wylam via Cockshott Dene, there is a litter bin at the top near the Gill, walking up Castlefields Drive the first bin you come to is at the top of North Wylam View.
Lockdown rules have transformed the way people socialise, which affects the rubbish they produce, not thinking through the repercussions when they leave it behind. Also, people are using more disposable plates and packaging material. As restaurants open for indoor dining there will hopefully be less single use waste. This does not excuse littering but offers hope that things will improve and waste can be reduced.
If you are part of a litter picking group or you go out alone thank you. Prudhoe Ground Force update Prudhoe Town Council and NCC Local Services with their weekly routes and collected bin bags. Prudhoe Guides recently contacted us to arrange use of litter picking equipment and to seek a spot prime for picking. If you are regularly collecting litter from a particular area of the town and have ideas about how to combat it, please get in touch.
Please be assured that litter is being monitored and you can help using the NCC app or online reporting. You can report litter and overflowing bins very easily, use the links below.
Keep Prudhoe Tidy and keep in touch.
