Is anyone else fed up with the state of Camden Square in Ramsgate? Every week rubbish is dumped there willy-nilly, not to mention the ever-present seagull problem on bin bag collection days. I have attached some photos of the disgraceful mess this square is almost constantly in.
The residents have been told their properties are not suited to wheelie bins and that they cannot participate in the trial of seagull proof bin bags that is taking place elsewhere on the East Cliff. Emails to councillors rarely receive a response, and I know of one councillor who actually believes that the seagull proof bags are 'ugly' and that the final solution is spraying bin liners with bleach on bin day. How's that supposed to help?
Well Samantha, it certainly looks like a land fill from your photos! I wonder how long it'll be before the entire area is infested with rats and bubonic plague?!?!!??And talking of rubbish news, I've just been sent a press release from Duffer Central entitled HERITAGE OPEN DAYS COME TO MARGATE. According to our beloved council's spin doctor:
Some of Margate ’s many historic buildings and sites will be throwing open their doors next month (September), as part of Heritage Open Days.
A total of 12 different venues will be taking part in the initiative, which runs from Thursday 9 September until Sunday 12 September. It’s been organised under the banner of Margate Arts, Creativity, Heritage (MACH) [Who they? Ed], an innovative partnership between English Heritage, the Arts Council and Thanet District Council.
There's more, but it's all about Margate. Yet a sneak peek at the English Heritage website reveals that there are two events in Broadstairs, and two in Ramsgate. So why no mensh of those by Cecil Square? Have they forgotten that our council tax pays their wages too? Or are they just eager to take credit for what seems to be some much needed joined up thinking from outside their bureaucratic box? I think we should be told!
19 comments:
As Dave Green gets out and about and, according to Richard, rocks, might be an idea if he got off down to Camden Square to check out the scene. Maybe he could even do a bit of 'rocking' by hurling a few at the winged rats that infest the area. Hard to believe they are a protective species, the winged ones I mean not RTC councillors!
What is required is to fit ice cream van style chimes to refuse wagons.
"Bring forth thy garbage !"
One stop service. After bringing out the garbage report to crew cab and sign on dole. Sorted.
"Bring forth thy garbage
This week's special feature in crew cab is councillor's surgery. Special offers on carpets."
I think the green bin bags are left lying around by the street-cleaners. They leave the green bags at various locations and somebody else is supposed to come and pick it up. Sometimes the green bags sit there for days.
As for the wheelie bins, thank your lucky stars that you don't have them. The key equation you need to remember is: Wheelie-bins + hot weather = plague of maggots.
Shame Councillor L isn't touring around to see the outcome of his grand scheme. I saw on the South-East news that a survey of residents somewhere in Kent, showed that 95% were in favour of retaining weekly rubbish collections. I suspect the figure in Thanet would be even higher now that we have direct experience of the alternative. I wonder how Councillor L feels to be going against the wishes of such a large proportion of the electorate. He must feel very secure in his seat.
It's a bit Daily Mail to knock wheelie bins isn't it? I've never had a maggot problem with mine. I rinse everything before it goes in, same as with the recycling. If you're not too lazy 4:36pm you could too!
Well said, 5:52 PM, for the Daily Mail have been running a campaign against wheelie bins and fortnightly collections for months.
I use a pedal bin with liners, transfer the tied up liners to the wheelie bin and periodically disinfect the latter. Never had a problem with maggots, flies or smell.
Can be done but Camden Square is a different problem. Sacks are a menace and do not mix well with seagulls. Either gull proof sacks or proper gull alarms are needed plus a bit of tidyness on the part of the residents. One does not have to live in a pig sty.
You rinse your rubbish before it goes in the bin? Tell me you're joking.
Surely the best solution would be a couple of large hopper bins for everyone to use?
Hopper bins - oh dear speaking as someone with them on their doorstep and still faces the joy of being confronted with daily torn bags alongside them I have come to realise that for many of the great unwashed scroungers of Thanet, the biggest rats of all, the effort of lifting a bag and actually putting it in said receptacle is still far too much of an effort!!!
Yes 7:35. It only takes a moment of my time and far better than having maggots. You're instructed to rinse out the items for the blue bin anyway, so why not do it for the black one too? But of course the Daily Mail would never suggest anything as easy and sensible, where would be the story in that when they can blame it all on mutant Labour councillors laying their giant fly spawn willy nilly at the dead of night in hard working, middle class, Tory voting, cancer obsessed housewives' rubbish?
PS In case anyone thinks I'm OCD, I'm only talking about tetrapaks, food cartons, that sort of thing. Of course some food waste has to go into the bin but if you use a proper bin liner and tie it tightly then make sure your bin lid is always closed I can guarantee you no maggots. However if you will insist on throwing up your kebab into your bin at 3am and leaving the lid off, what do you expect?
anon again!
The TDC should clear this mess daily. I dunno, they just get lazier, and charge us more forritt!
Then - at some time - watch the area (CCTV) and catch the twaunts that dump the stuff - then FINE their arse's off.
12:11 Those of us who don't live on benefits haven't got all day to spend washing our rubbish. We expect to be able to discard rubbish and have it collected. That's one of the things we pay vast amounts of Council tax for. If you don't pay Council tax I doubt that this would concern you. The two weekly collections are simply an example of the Council giving us less for more. On an environmental note, washing your rubbish is one of the least green things you could possibly do.
Gosh! Only 12 comments in and someone has resorted to the old 'you must be a benefit scrounger because I disagree with your views' tactic.
Must be a new world record!
The havoc that seagulls cause to black sacks is a real problem in those areas that cannot have wheelie bins.
I reseached in other seaside areas and found the use of seagull proof sacks.
After some reluctance, TDC have agreed a trial in certain Eastcliff roads.
I am now getting requests from other roads for the bags.
The councils response to these requests is as follows:
"Following the introduction of the seagull proof bags in the East Cliff
area of Ramsgate, we have had 3-4 inquiries from individual residents
and residents associations outside the trial area to purchase the bags.
We have already inquired with the supplier whether it was possible for
individuals to purchase the bags directly from them or if they had a
retail facility for smaller quantities. However, the supplier informed
us that they can only provide the bags in larger quantities with a
minimum order of 1,000 bags.
Supplier’s website, with contact details is:
http://www.recykerbag.co.uk/bespokesolutions.htm
The pilot trial in the selected areas of East Cliff, Ramsgate is still
underway and due for completion in September 2010 with evaluation to
take place in October/November 2010. Our initial assessment is that
whilst the seagull proof bags have reduced rubbish from seagull attack
and improved the appearance of the area, they are not an unqualified
success and are less effective than wheeled bins. The bags (like other
containment methods) only work if correctly used, which is clearly not
the case even within the pilot area. It also needs all residents on the
street to participate, which we are very encouraged would be the case in
Adelaide Gardens and Liverpool Lawn. Similarly, for the scheme to be
effective, other neighbouring roads need to have an effective waste
containment method (dustbins, wheeled bins, seagull proof bags, etc)
otherwise there is a risk of rubbish blowing in from the neighbouring
streets.
One of the main issues highlighted during the trial of the seagull
proof bags is that some households leave the bags out almost permanently
(despite repeated reminders, visits, letters, etc), which the residents
then say makes their roads look very untidy. There is very little the
council can do, especially if the seagull proof bags are within the
boundaries of the property even if they are visible.
The trial also suggests that the bags themselves would benefit from
some modification, for example, i.e., they need to be weighted so that
they do not blow away when empty as not all properties have railings to
which they can be attached. It would also be better if the ties (to
attach the bags to railings) were Velcro fastening which would make it
quicker to fasten and unfasten - although this too is not without its
own problem, as Velcro fastenings do not function well after a while and
will need to be replaced more often.
We are very conscious that the properties on black sack collections,
especially those nearer the coast are subject to seagull attacks and
that at certain times of the year the depredation of seagulls on black
bags can create a very difficult situation both for the residents as
well as for the refuse collectors and street sweepers.
For areas that are unable to accommodate wheeled bins, we encourage
residents to put their black sacks inside standard household dustbins as
this would reduce the incidents of seagull attack and the refuse
collection crew will collect the black sacks from the dustbins."
I understand that there were a couple of foxes after the rubbish sacks on the eastcliff in the early hours of this morning.
I guess the foxes work the night shift, and then when they clock off its time for the segaulls to take over at first light.
Did TDC have to order 1000 segull proof rubbish bags themselves? If so, given that there were 250 homes in the trial, TDC should still have plenty of them left.
Perhaps TDC could sell bags to residents outside of the trial area that would like them.
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Its unlikely that the problem with the rubbish collection would have happened when these old properties were first built. The bins would have been left at the rear of the property and the bin men would have gone down the rear alleyways to collect the contents. That was of course one of the reasons that houses had rear alleyways, the other reason in some places was so that the 'night soil men' could come around to empty the toilets.
At least we have flush toilets these days .... :-)
The MACH post was advertised in December:
http://www.thanet.gov.uk/jobs__careers/council_jobs/mach_project_manager.aspx
Has a possible budget of £500k
Post went to Sophie Jeffrey who previously worked for The Arts Council in Margate and developed the post.
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/making-over-margate/
If you wash your rubbish you don't need seagull-proof sacks.
> If you wash your rubbish you don't need seagull-proof sacks.
I've never tried washing a disposable nappy. I guess you could scrape it clean - but I don't think washing it would work very well, as the absorbant gel would just soak up the water.
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