Forum Topic

litter St Paul's Recreation Ground

The litter problem in St Paul's Recreation Ground seems to have become much worse recently. There are waste bins provided though these are inadequate in number and in design, are not used and litter is thrown everywhere. We are very lucky to have this great open space, sadly these are disappearing rapidly in the name of development as such we should cherish and respect it. Hounslow are investigating how well Carillion function as its caretakers, personally I think they do a reasonable job. The problem lies not with them but with the few who have no respect for their surroundings. Would anyone be interested in joining a Friend's of St Paul's group to help protect this well used and loved space?

Martin Case ● 3839d13 Comments

The bins are insufficient in number given the amount of waste/litter and in design. If Hounslow are so keen on recycling surely we should have bins suitable for the job, along these lines - http://www.industrialbins.co.uk/recycling-bins/ . In the long run the investment in these type would pay back in savings on sorting waste.

Martin Case ● 3834d

A resident in Grosvenor road is the only person to have ever washed these down since they were installed.He now refuses to do it anymore as he feels he has done more than his 'bit' and no-one else bothers. They have been so filthy at times that they stink and are a hazard to those who do use them and teach their kids to put litter in the bin.It's been sloppy maintenance for years and it is really not good enough.Just look at the signboards. The contractors put new stickers on them with contact details, but did not even clean the signs first leaving the tree lime and dirt in place.Third rate standards.

Raymond Havelock ● 3835d

They are the ones which have slots in the sides near the top, but the top itself is part of the bin - usually the sides are overflowing with stuffed carrier bags full of rubbish so people then leave their carrier bags full of rubbish around the base of the bin, which looks very unsightly.

Adam Beamish ● 3836d

Are the bins lidded?

Philippa Bond ● 3836d

From my occasional walks through Carville Hall Park South at weekends I'm always shocked at how the bins are full and there's usually full carrier bags of stuff around the base of the bins - whilst clearly other users are not considerate in terms of dumping litter it doesn't help that the bins are seemingly not emptied frequently enough.

Adam Beamish ● 3836d

I can't understand why people are so incapable of flattening a can or box.  You'd deflate your beachball before you packed it in your suitcase...  Packaging should be designed to be flattened - and most is now. If it is excessive and unnecessary it is problem and you should leave it at the till and/or complain about it to the retailer and manufacturer and Which?

Philippa Bond ● 3836d

I cycled through the Rec last night and was a bit shocked by the mess. I had looked several times before and found it pretty good but clearly unacceptable yesterday.Had a brief discussion with Cllr Myra Savin last night and we believe Cllr Mel Collins is on the case but he's away for a few days.Rest assured its on councillors' radar - just don't want to all chase the same ball like a team of 9 year old footballers.

Guy Lambert ● 3836d

I was there yesterday and to be honest I was shocked by the amount of rubbish all over the grounds. All bins are full, rubbish dumped around them. There is even rubbish in the playground. The door of the playground facing the bus stop has been broken for ages which makes it unsafe for kids. How much would it take to fix it?And we keep electing same people to run the council(. May be our newly elected Guy Lambert could help?

Alex Shpinkov ● 3836d

Forgot to add - in addition to the litter we now have dead rats on open ground where children play.

Martin Case ● 3837d

I do agree with everything you say Richard but in addition this problem has become intensified through Morrison's disposing of their recycling facilities. Given that a good proportion of the waste is originated from Morrison's sales, perhaps some sort of public/private partnership could be created to address this problem? OR if Ballymore are the chosen developers to regenerate Brentford perhaps they could also take part in an initiative to clean up Brentford? However initially I do think the signage needs looking at in respect of litter, dogs off leads and general behavior - a code of conduct?

Martin Case ● 3837d

A cautionary tale.This is a similar scenario to the one we had with our small park. I sent photos of the litter strewn around to all three councillors and asked who was responsible for clearing it and emptying the dog litter bin. The contractors - in Sheffield - didn't have a clue what area I was talking about until I sent a detailed response and told them the location! Next thing we knew horses appeared and the council's Head of Leisure said in her now familiar bleat, that the park was 'underused' and not maintained, as if that justified the council leasing it out. We then found out that the contract for maintenance had been ended just before the horses took up residence, not that there was much maintenance to speak of anyway. On top of that from an FOI request we found out that a local councillor had known that the park was to be leased and signed it off telling us at the same time that none of them knew anything! So if you want to keep the park for the benefit of local residents you do need to take the initiative or you could find something springing up that no-one will know about.

Vanessa Smith ● 3837d

I do believe now locals need to take this into their own hands, as St Paul's is a mess and so is Waterman. I don't think we need to worry about lawyers and the council, as currently they don't give a damn and will blame budget cuts....both parks are great open spaces, but the issue is the people using it leave their mess, even if bins are provided. I think a lot of the mess is baby nappies, cigarettes and macdonalds waste. People need to be educated...If a group is formed, I am happy to donate some of my time to help the clean, but we need to also recruit local businesses, especially macdonalds to help as well. Dog mess is also a big issue.

Nemesh Patel ● 3837d

Problem with St Paul's Rec is twofold.The maintenance is not consistent and not good enough. Where are the promised new railings from when CiP were replaced? Some 10 years ago that was promised. The new playground showed adult outdoor gym equipment, Where is that?  A Gate has been faulty to the kids playground for nearly 4 years. The kids playground is not swept properly, detrius is swept or blown but never removed.Pruning is savage rather than regular.But an equally big problem is those who use and abuse the place.A quarter of the park is set aside for dog owners and walkers. Those who use this sector clearly respect the area and the rest of the park.But there are more who seem to use the rest of the park for dogs, off leash and are not too active in clearing up after them.Parents in the playground are worst of all, the litter and language used in front of other peoples children is not really acceptable. But everything is treated with little care or respect.One wonders just how this can be dealt with.  Sad and depressing to see such facilities so poorly treated.A proper Park Keeper with full enforcement powers, on the spot fines etc. is the only thing I can think of.But if it were properly maintained and better signage reminding people of their obligations would no doubt help.The last time a friends thing was set up, the Labour group sent lawyers to stop a clean up day.Then a year later did it themselves as a photo-opportunity for the local paperInterestingly after the journalists departed so did all the politicos, leaving just a handful of residents who had toiled all day whilst the rest just ate drank and talked politics.I know that all sorts of ideas were possible as well as a lottery grant for new quality fencing/railings and heritage lighting were all looked into but never came to fruit. The people who made the initiative then, I think, are still around so may be able to help or pass that research along.But a friends society - devoid of political interference and help from councillors when needed but not as a political vehicle, a great idea.

Raymond Havelock ● 3838d