St Martin’s removes 10 bins after misuse
WASTE collections should be the responsibility of the States, not the parishes, St Martin’s senior constable Dave Beausire has said, after the parish withdrew its bins.
About 10 bins were taken away from around the parish last week. They had been funded by St Martin’s parishioners for 10 years, with the parish handyman picking them up. But Mr Beausire said they were being misused. He added that there had not been a big response to the news.
‘We’ve had five complaints, either by email or phone call,’ he said.
‘It has not caused a problem.’
Around the parish, bin users have said they would be missed.
A St Martin’s resident said he had seen a rise in the amount of rubbish he had found dumped in his hedges, since the bins had reduced in number.
‘I’ve had dog poo left on my wall,’ he said.
‘I’ve had tins, receipts, sandwich wrappers, cigarette butts, all sorts left on my property, it is really irritating. The amount I pick up – it frustrates me.
‘It’s been like this for a long time and I expect it to get worse if they take the bins away.
‘I expect more dog poo on my wall once they’re gone.’
Mr Beausire said the bins were aimed at people needing to pop something in them when on a walk, rather than exclusively dog mess. But he said people had been taking it too far. In some cases dog owners were collecting all the dog waste from their homes and then dropping them in the bins en masse.
‘It’s disgusting,’ said Mr Beausire.
He said they were meeting with the Waste Disposal Authority in a few weeks.
‘They have to take responsibility for this,’ he said.
‘If they feel bins are needed, it’s for them to put them in and pay for them.’
Most of the bins were at inland parish locations, such as outside Ogiers, at the Sausmarez Manor bus stop and by the community centre. The States is responsible for most of the bins at coastal locations.
One woman, who was out walking her dog, said the number of bins in the area had definitely diminished.
‘There used to be plenty more bins here,’ she said.
‘When I’m out walking the dog you really just want the bins to be where you know they are, they help you know. It’s such a shame, really, because not having them just encourages people to dump their litter.’
