LETTER: Answer to rubbish bags on the streets

Just a note copying you in to my message to South Holland District Council.

Dear SHDC, I wonder if I might be permitted to make a suggestion regarding the collection of recycling waste and landfill waste?

Currently, someone from the collection team inspects the green sacks, and if anything obvious (such as polythene packaging) is in the sack, it receives a yellow label advising of the reason for not collecting it.

This is fine and good, but the problem is once the sack is on the street, nobody ever goes out to see why their sack has not been collected.

Now to an example. On February 1, a green sack was put out on the curtilage of Knipe Avenue and Green Lane. It was not collected on February 3. It was not collected by the black sack team on February 5 (presumably because it was a green sack). It was not collected on February 10 (because it contained polystyrene), and was not collected by the black sack team on February 12 (because it was a green sack!)

So the poor old green sack sat there for two weeks, because nobody wanted it. The owner didn’t want anything more to do with it, neither did the green sack team, nor the black sack team. It is basically another unwanted sack of rubbish on the streets of Spalding.

Perhaps a different approach to the rejection of green sacks might be in order? Instead of putting yellow labels on the sacks, how would it be if your operative were to be equipped with an aerosol can of black paint – spray the offending green sack with a black cross, and this would indicate to the black sack team, that the sack should be collected with all the other black sacks and thus removed from the street?

By the way, I collected this sad green sack, sorted the contents, and will be putting them out for collection.

However, I was quite disgusted with the contents – a milk bottle still a quarter full, remains of meals in cartons, women’s tights; I do not envy the poor people who have to sort all this rubbish!!!

It is of course, completely unacceptable for this rubbish to remain on our streets for weeks on end.

Paul Matten
Green Lane
Spalding