Dear Editor
I was appalled to read about the thoughtless dumping of food beside a communal street wheelie bin in Bellevue (Breaking news, 9.4.14). I can fully sympathise with the local residents as we have a similar recurring problem of fly tipping and abandoned refuse at the west end of Cumberland Street.
As the mornings get lighter earlier, the tedious problems of seagulls tearing open the bags looking for food will soon be with us again. I have regularly tidied up discarded rubbish from the pavement if only on health grounds. A very unpleasant job at times. On one occasion, the huge pile of rubbish left by the bins was photographed by some astonished overseas tourists!
I feel sorry for the refuse service staff who do a good job in a high-density city centre – after all, it is a few selfish residents who are the problem. If I have one criticism, it is that the collection teams who empty the communal bins put aside any fly-tipped rubbish. There seems to be no facility, or volition, for them to inform the refuse department that bulky items have been fly-tipped and will require collection. It seems to me they rely entirely on the local residents ringing the department for a one-off collection.
I have attached a few random photos taken over the past 15 months or so which illustrate the problem. You could have had dozens more.
Regards
Dr Ian Shaw
Cumberland Street