Householders are being urged to do their bit for #OurStreets in the battle to keep Darlington’s back lanes clear.
Darlington Borough Council’s Street Scene staff do their best to keep back lanes clear and tidy, but it’s a battle they cannot win without the public’s help.
Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and the local environment explained:
“Complaints about the state of back lanes have grown in recent months, with many claiming fly tipping and bag slashing is on the increase. The fact is that the number of incidents has not changed but due to cuts to the Council’s budget we simply don’t have the resources to do as much as we did previously.
“However, the solution for many of the problems in the back lanes is quite simple, and is in the hands of householders themselves.
“If you leave your bin out overnight, or for days on end, it can become a target – the bin itself may be stolen or used by thieves; bag slashers are more likely to be active late at night or very early in the morning and the less time your bin is out, the less likely it is to be a target for arsonists or others.
“If the bin is not out in the back lane this won’t happen – so the message is clear: don’t put your bin out until collection day and bring it in as soon as possible the same day!
“Many local authorities are quite stringent and regularly fine residents for leaving bins out, but while we try to be more flexible and lenient, we can and will take action if we need to.”
He added: “We also need to stress the importance of putting the right waste in the right bin, particularly when it comes to recycling. We cannot empty recycling bins or containers that have the wrong items mixed in, because it would contaminate the whole load. This would cost the Council – and ultimately residents – money.
“If your bin is not emptied for this reason, then it’s down to you to then make your own arrangements for disposal – so we would ask residents to think about where they put their waste so it goes in the right bin.”
Tips on what goes in which bin/container and how to Recycle Right can be found online at www.darlington.gov.uk/recycleright
Refuse and recycling collections are carried out between 7am and 5pm and residents are urged not to put their bin out until the morning of their collection day – before 7am – and to take it back in as soon as possible after the waste has been collected. You can check when your ‘Refuse and Recycling Collections’ are due at www.darlington.gov.uk
Residents are also encouraged to report any incidents of ‘fly tipping’ by emailing the details to customerservices@darlington.gov.uk and mark FAO: StreetScene Enforcement.
We always endeavour to clear hazardous items as soon as possible, but other materials may need to wait until the next scheduled street cleaning day – details of which can be found at www.darlington.gov.uk/ourstreets
For more information about other ways you can help keep #OurStreets clean and how to organise a litter pick log onto the website atwww.darlington.gov.uk/litterpick – don’t forget to tell us, and others, about your efforts on social media using the #OurStreets hashtag.