The true cost of Labour's litter policies probed

What is the true cost of the reduction in the number of litter bins across the City by the Labour run Council?

At last Cabinet Members and Service Directors have decided to come out of the Civic Centre to see what residents and we have been complaining about all this time.

They are annoyed about what it looks like. But what about the impact? Here are some examples observed by Liberal Democrats councillors who are often out and about in their wards litterpicking, frequently with local volunteers :

The environment : much of this waste is plastic, it won't degrade, it won't recycle and it's bad.

Our health : we collect many dog poo bags, which are split and damaged. Dog poo carries a lethal disease called, toxocariasis and if wiped in the eyes, especially by young children, can cause blindness.

Our safety : broken glass and sharp objects are commonly collected and are putting people at risk of cuts and resulting infection.

When the Labour group decided to cut the number of litter bins by two thirds city-wide, did they think about the consequences? Or was it just about saving money? They now inform us that the Council collected 7000 tonnes of rubbish from the street last year, at a cost of £2.2M. We know the true figure will never be known, but it will exceed 20,000 tonnes for sure.

Litter picking and collection is a reactive measure to deal with a problem. But it comes at a greater cost. The Labour Administration needs to think about the root cause of the problem that they have contributed to and then consider the measures to implement and mitigate the issue. The savings will then be delivered elsewhere.

The pictures shown are a collection of some of the work councillors have been doing with their communities over recent years. In some wards litter picking equipment is available on loan for willing volunteers.