Having just returned from Hull – a city full of history and art and a European city of culture in 2017 – I couldn’t help but notice that it was also the cleanest city I have seen for a long while. Clean roads, clean pedestrian walkways and clean squares. It’s an example that could be followed in certain parts of Rye, especially where children roam before and after school, as well as the pathway up to Valley Park where the only dustbin was taken away. The green behind the leisure centre is often full of crisp bags and cans. Other areas around the school towards Tilling Green Avenue are often appallingly littered. What did of course help in Hull was that there were plenty of dustbins which we seem to be lacking.
A couple of years ago several Rye inhabitants persuaded a teacher to get the children from the Academy, then Rye College, to produce drawings of how they perceived the rubbish in town. The images were displayed in an empty shop and created some awareness. Unfortunately that teacher left and the impetus was lost. The solution in my mind is to make the school children responsible. Each week five different students could be chosen to go out with a black bag and picker to collect the rubbish left by their mates. They will soon teach each other to be more careful as none of them would want to be seen doing this.
How to enforce it? That’s the problem and probably a dream as schools do not have the time to organise it. Parents of course need to be involved and some might think it’s too humiliating for the children. Fair enough, so all it needs is for them to encourage their children to use dustbins, if available or take rubbish home.
PS Wednesday 23, I cycled along the above mentioned places to take a photo when I was too late. Whoever is responsible for the areas had a good clean up because the grass needed cutting, so presently it looks very nice and tidy. Please everyone keep it like this.
Photo: Rye News library
Heidi is correct in saying the main problem, in my opinion, is the lack of litter bins. For example there are no bins between the railway station and Rye college and the only bin in the station car park fell to pieces years ago, but was never replaced.
My wife and I pick up and take home anything we see, as do others, but that is not the answer.
New bins are needed at strategic points in the town and they must be emptied as required; a weekly collection near the market is inadequate.
One slight disagreement with Heidi; it’s easy to blame the schoolchildren and there certainly are a lot of drink and junk food containers. Also regular litter is from Starbucks and Mac Donald’s suggesting that people have driven many miles before discarding their food and drink debris.
Not sure we should blame anybody, least of all children, when we live in a town littered with A Boards, posh planters blocking the pavements and cars parked illegally on pavements and/or ‘abandoned’ on double yellow lines by their owners.
Maybe each week five business, home and car owners should be taken in and shamed at the school for their disregard of common niceties and, often, the law!
I have noticed that the litter bins at Winchelsea Beach (along the Pett Level road) are overflowing after busy weekends .What is needed are bigger bins…much bigger. The numbers of visitors now have grown considerably over the last twenty years…..small skips wouldn’t come amiss !