Litter bin strategy for St Albans District is approved
St Albans City and District Council has adopted a new strengthened strategy for supplying, emptying, maintaining and replacing litter bins.
The strategy’s overall aim is to improve the cleanliness of the City, towns and villages by reducing litter.
Among the key commitments are prioritising litter hotspots, responding to public concerns and ensuring bins are of the right design and in the right places.
The Council has an £18,000 a year budget for the upkeep of 630 street litter bins across the District. It is also responsible for 225 litter and 115 dog bins in its parks and green spaces.
Members of the Public Realm Committee approved the strategy at their meeting on Wednesday 21 June.
Councillor Lynn Cunningham, the Committee’s Vice Chair and Lead for Waste and Recycling, said after the meeting:
We know our residents want their streets and open spaces to be clean, tidy and free of litter which can be a terrible eyesore.
Providing a well-maintained infrastructure of litter bins across the District is one of the most important measures we can take to deal with this issue.
I am pleased that the Committee has approved the strategy as it provides us with a fair and transparent framework for making key decisions.
We will refer to the strategy for guidance when we have to decide matters such as where best to place and to relocate bins, how to respond to requests for bins and what sort of bins we should use.
We also recognise the importance of managing the capacity of our bins against demand, as well as providing very clear information and education to encourage people to dispose of their litter responsibly. I’m sure residents will support this initiative.
The strategy commits the Council to continuing its partnership working with Town and Parish Councils, St Albans BID, community groups and Hertfordshire County Council.
Litter bins may be removed as a trial at spots where there has been significant and consistent littering and fly-tipping.
This is because research has shown the removal of bins in such areas can actually reduce or eliminate littering as was the case at a school in Harpenden and also in the City centre.
A bin costs around £700 to purchase and install and requests for one to be placed in a particular area will be decided, given the limited budget, by a scoring system.
This system will determine the priority cases by taking into account factors such as proximity to bus stops, shops and takeaway food outlets.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727-819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.
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