‘If volunteers weren’t working hard to clear up Northampton’s litter, we would be living in a fly tip’
The level of littering has been labelled “out of control”, as more than 60 bags of rubbish were collected in one street last weekend
A dog walker from Moulton has shared her frustrations about the level of litter across Northampton, which volunteers often clear up.
Michelle Blackler, 50, has been involved with the work of the Northants Litter Wombles since the group was first established – doing litter picks both alone and in groups.
A group of 15 did a pick in Boughton Lane on Saturday (March 11), which left Michelle feeling the only way forward is to raise awareness of what is being done by volunteers to tackle the issue and pushing for harsher consequences for those who litter.
Talking to this newspaper, she said: “If volunteers weren’t working hard to clear up Northamptonshire’s litter, we would be living in a fly-tip.
“People don’t realise how much rubbish is being collected. It’s a ridiculous amount and this is a massive issue across the entire country.”
From her involvement with the Northants Litter Wombles and in her job as a dog walker, Michelle sees the impact of littering, throwing rubbish out of car windows and fly tipping every day.
“It’s out of control,” she said. “What happened to ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ which used to be plastered everywhere? People used to take pride back then.”
Sue Almond was responsible for organising the recent pick at Boughton Lane, which Michelle was last involved in tidying a few years ago when around 190 sacks of litter were collected.
After picking it alone and seeing the wildlife in the area, Sue decided it was time to get a group together as they did previously.
More than 60 bags, as pictured, were collected in just a few hours – as well as the group coming across a number of fly tipped mattresses and sofas.
Michelle says she has witnessed people drive into fields in Moulton specifically to fly tip, and she believes CCTV is needed in the bad hotspots to catch them in action.
“People will eventually lose the will to continue tackling the problem.” said Michelle. “If no one else cares, why should the volunteers?”
The dog walker is all for more fines and prosecutions being implemented to crack down on the problem.
Just recently, a Moulton resident had rubbish fly tipped on their private land and they had to pay for it to be removed.
As a letter with the person’s name and address was found among the dumped rubbish, they were prosecuted.
“More of this is needed,” said Michelle, who would like to see bins emptied more regularly so people do not need to resort to dumping rubbish elsewhere.
In an ideal world, she would also like to see tips open for longer hours and a wider variety of items accepted so there are “no excuses”.
Michelle said: “We need to take pride in the county we live in and be aware that this mess is being cleared by volunteers.
“There are so many passionate people, so it is now about raising awareness of what they do and implementing consequences for those in the wrong.”
The dog walker believes more support should be offered to the volunteers working hard to keep the county clean.