BINS in Worcester are overflowing after a succession of weekends with pleasant weather.
Residents have complained after a number of bins along the River Severn were so filled with litter the excess had to be put by the sides and on the ground.
One, who did not want to be named, said: “All the rubbish bins along the river are overflowing as you can see and have been for days.
“I think it is a disgrace the council are leaving them in this state for days when we are all encouraged to clean up all our waste. Why do we pay our taxes.?
“Not a good impression for when tourists and visitors return after lockdown is lifted.”
Responding to the concerns, a Worcester City Council spokesman confirmed the last few weeks have been busy in the city as the weather improves, and that the bins were getting emptied this week.
They said: “Riverside and Diglis were noticeably busy at the weekend.
“The bins have now been cleared and we have increased the frequency of litter bin emptying in these areas.
“We will be monitoring closely in the coming weeks to assess how the situation evolves as the lockdown measures change.
“We’d like to remind people that where bins are full, it is your responsibility to take litter home and dispose of it there.”
According to Keep Britain Tidy’s 2019/20 report, the most commonly littered item across the country is cigarette butts, found on 79 per cent of sites.
The following three most littered items, all ‘food and drink on the go’ related, are confectionery packs (found on 60 per cent of sites), soft drink bottles and cans (52 per cent) and fast food related litter (33 per cent).
According to their data, the top ten most littered items are:
Smoking related litter
Confectionery packs
Soft drink bottles and cans
Fast-food related
Alcoholic drinks bottles and cans
Packaging
Snack packs
Vehicle parts
Discarded food and drink
Clothing
Keep Britain Tidy CEO, Allison Ogden-Newton said: “In the past few decades we have become a society that consumes on the go, with all the packaging that goes along with it.
“If you buy something – be it a packet of crisps or a bottle of water – you buy the packaging as well and it is your responsibility to dispose of that packaging appropriately by recycling it or putting it in the bin.
“And, if we’re not near a bin we need to keep that rubbish with us until we are.
“To do otherwise is not only against the law but it is also damaging to our environment.”
Are there major litter issues where you live? Get in touch with us to tell your story.
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