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Council launches new campaign to clean up Renfrewshire
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The people of Renfrewshire have been urged to do their bit in keeping their local area clean, with the launch on Thursday 15 May, of a new campaign.
At the official launch of 'Clean Renfrewshire' at Paisley Town Hall, Renfrewshire Council displayed the nine tonnes of litter - enough to fill nine refuse trucks - that are lifted from the streets and roads every weekend.
Clean Renfrewshire, which has a total funding package of £2.7m, is aimed at instilling pride across the local area and taking enforcement action against people who break the law by littering, fly tipping, spraying graffiti and allowing their dogs to foul the streets and parks.
Crucially, the Council will form partnerships with local neighbourhoods, school pupils and the business community in Renfrewshire to reduce the amount of litter dropped and increase the amount which is cleaned up. The campaign will focus on reducing the amount of street litter, graffiti, chewing gum, fly tipping, fly posting and dog fouling - which cost Renfrewshire taxpayers a staggering £3m every year to remove, taking the total the council spends on keeping Renfrewshire’s streets clean to £5.7m.
Clean Renfrewshire will combine an initial ‘hearts and minds’ programme aimed at instilling pride in the local environment, followed by a get-tough zero tolerance clampdown on litter crime - including uniformed environmental wardens who will issue offenders with on-the-spot £50 fixed penalty notices – set to launch in October of this year.
The initial phase of the campaign will see households across Renfrewshire being issued with a Clean Renfrewshire Charter. The council recently completed a ‘Spring Clean’ of Renfrewshire’s streets to ensure that residents are encouraged to keep their local area clean and free from litter.
The council is also piloting a £250k Community Caretakers scheme in Paisley South in June of this year. The eight caretakers will work in local areas to provide a hands-on approach to maintaining open spaces such as parks and streets. They will play an ‘eyes and ears’ role in reporting graffiti and fly tipping and local people will be encouraged to approach them with their community issues.
Council leader Derek Mackay, speaking at the launch at Paisley Town Hall, said:
"The amount of litter discarded by people in Renfrewshire each weekend – enough to fill nine refuse trucks – is unacceptable.
"The amount of litter discarded by people in Renfrewshire each weekend – enough to fill nine refuse trucks – is unacceptable.
“By launching the Clean Renfrewshire campaign we hope to engage with those people who want to live and work in a clean and pleasant environment and deter those who have no respect for their local environment by issuing fixed penalty notices.
“It is impossible for a local authority to keep the streets of its towns and villages clean on its own. What we need is for the people who live, work and play in Renfrewshire to get involved in our campaign, encourage their friends and family not to drop litter and report other anti-social behaviour such as fly tipping and graffiti when they see it.
“We are investing in keeping Renfrewshire tidy but we need the full support of our local residents if we’re truly to make our campaign a success.”
The campaign will provide new or redirected resources for the fight against grime crime, including:
- 100 StreetScene operatives
- 30 StreetScence vehicles
- 50 environmental wardens
- 850 litter bins
- 8 community caretakers
Press release issued by the Big Partnership on behalf of Renfrewshire Council: Friday 16 May 2008
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