News

Do fewer bins mean less litter?

25 August 2011

Approximately 50 litter bins were removed from Canterbury city centre as a precaution during the civil unrest seen elsewhere in England earlier this month.

As the bins were not there for a few days, the council decided to wait a while before putting them back, as an experiment to see what impact it would have on litter.

Anecdotal evidence from the council’s contractor, Serco, shows that the city centre is currently the cleanest it has been in a long time.

The contractor has reported that less collections has enabled them to employ an extra person on litter picking duty.

Canterbury Council has also noticed that more businesses have been spotted sweeping up and clearing litter associated with their premises.

The trial also revealed that some businesses and residents were using ordinary litter bins for their commercial or domestic waste.

The council is planning to put around half of the bins that were taken out back into areas near known litter hot spots and fast food premises because it makes sense to make bins available where they are needed.

A council spokesperson said: ‘Our priority will always be to have a clean city centre. We will continue to keep a very close eye on the situation to ensure we have the right number of bins in the right locations.’

Jill Partington, spokesperson, Keep Britain Tidy said: ‘The removal of these bins is only a positive move if litter levels are less than before. 

‘The public should not be encouraged to drop litter because it is cheaper to remove from the floor than to install a bin.’

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Comments

Comment on this article

• Karol Steele, South East

  http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentish_gazette/news/2011/september/13/petition_to_return_bins_to_cit.aspx Manny say please call into the shop and continue to sign the petition, as Canterbury City Council have now decided to remove the bins they just replaced!

• C Scott, South East

  I must agree with the previous comment made by Mr. Reynolds. It is a little frustrating at the moment having to carry my little for the whole duration of my visit to Canterbury's city centre. I am not one who likes to throw litter on the ground, but I do think that there will be many people who will pushed to drop theirs on the ground, not wanting to carry it around with them due to there not being any bins...and I really don't blame them! Funnily enough since the bins have been taken away, I now see a lot more litter pickers around the town centre...many more than I have ever seen before...just going to show that people are deciding to throw their rubbish on the streets. So, I hope to see some bins return to the High Street ASAP!!

• Brian Reynolds, South East

  The answer in Canterbury's case is no. I loved to visit Canterbury but a recent trip to the city was disappointing. There was fast food and confectionery litter in all locations of the centre. Shameful when you think Canterbury is a major international tourist location - what an impression. In contrast a recent visit to Berlin highlighted how the German's view litter. Bins mounted on lampost everywhere and in the busiest sports large bins with joint recycing options. The main railway station was consistently spotless with litter bins everywhere and on the platforms! In constrast the main railway stations in the UK are littered with fast food etc etc. When in Berlin I noted somebody dropped a piece of litter (a tourist probably from the UK) and a local finger wagged with annoyance. Imagine that happening the UK it would end in blood shed.