Rocky tackles roadside rubbish

Ever been maddened by the mounds of rubbish along the roads of Herefordshire? Ever been appalled by the amount of litter lying in the lanes? Ever been unhappy at the sight of unthinking commuters tossing trash from their cars?

 

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any or all of these questions, then you are in agreement with Herefordshire Council and its partner Herefordshire Jarvis Services, who are unhappy about the amount of litter that is being dropped across the County. It is also of concern to the many Herefordshire citizens who constantly raise this issue with the Council.

 

Cllr Phil Edwards, Cabinet Member (Environment), said: “It costs Council Tax payers more than £550,000 every year to remove more than 4,000 tonnes of rubbish from the highways and byeways of Herefordshire, and the problem is increasing not decreasing.

 

“This figure includes more than 15 tonnes of litter picked by the equivalent of eight full-time operatives each month. Over 180 tonnes each year picked by hand!

 

“Much of the roadside rubbish is fast food containers, cans, bottles and, amazingly, used disposable nappies!

 

“Why people can’t hang on to these things until they find a bin is a puzzle to me, and I find this kind of anti-social behaviour very difficult to understand.

 

“We live in a very beautiful part of the country, much admired by residents and visitors alike, so we don’t want the thoughtless few ruining it for others,” added Cllr Edwards.

 

To encourage people to act more responsibly with their litter, the Council is introducing a new animal to work alongside its Streetscene Gang - Rocky the Roadside Rat.

 

Most of the Streetscene Gang deal with issues of anti-social behaviour and environmental crime in Herefordshire towns and Hereford City, but Rocky is an outsider with a special task in trying to encourage road users not to throw their rubbish where and when they feel like it.

 

Bobbie Hadley, creator of the Streetscene gang, said: “It’s not by accident we have chosen a rat to deal with roadside littering, or that he’s not part of the gang. He’s not a popular animal and neither is the roadside litter lout.

 

“It’s also known that nationally the rat population is on the increase, and Encams (formerly Tidy Britain) believe this is mainly due to food litter thoughtlessly thrown on roadside verges, in lay-bys (and also in towns).

 

“We’re also aware that the roadside litter could easily be created by people passing through the county en route to somewhere else. This makes our job of preventing it more difficult, but we won’t be deterred,” added Bobbie

 

Rocky’s message is clear, “Scared of me? – then keep the roadsides litter free”.

 

The Streetscene hotline is (01432) 261800 or e mail streets@herefordshire.gov.uk

 

”Stamp out the bad – Enhance the good”