At the Acocks Green Ward Committee Meeting last week the Environmental Health Officer for our area – Kate Careford suggested a litter pick on the Yardley Road, following the on-going concerns about the untidiness of the area. It was arranged for Monday 3rd March, and even though it was raining, a hardy bunch of locals and Kate made a great effort to clean up our neighbourhood.
The hardy bunch of volunteers – thanks for your help guys.
Thanks to those helpers and to Kate for her initiative. With the council’s financial problems, perhaps organised litter-picks are one way of fighting the tide of rubbish. Also we can encourage the disposal of rubbish responsibly in the first place and try to pick up litter outside our own homes. We can all play a part, and have a positive impact on our area.
Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum 
Hi. I regularly litter pick on Fenton Road and surrounding roads. The bin outside the local shop is always overflowing – I’ve asked the council before to put more bins there but it gets ignored. I don’t mind litter picking at all but wish I could be provided with grabber and bags because doing it by hand is difficult as I have a back problem, and also it’s just not very hygienic to pick up litter with your hands! Does the council provide these for volunteers?
Hello Sarah
Well done for litter-picking in the area. If only everyone was like you we wouldn’t have a litter problem! I don’t think the council would ever supply litter-pickers, but I will ask around and see if there is some way to get hold of some for good citizens like yourselves and let you know.
Ged Hughes
Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum
I live in Acocks Green and our wheelie bins should be emptied on Thursdays but most of the time they get emptied on a Saturday or even on Mondays. That means wheelie bins are blocking the path ways for days. Sort it out Birmingham city council or reduce out council tax bills.
Hello David
Have you reported this problem to the council or the councillors? I can forward your concern to the councillors if you would like me to or contact them directly yourself : We have a link on the useful links list on the right hand side of the website : http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Member-Services%2FPageLayout&cid=1223109496955&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2FWrapper%2FInlineWrapper
Hope you get things sorted.
Good people, However, with all the job cut backs, Birmingham is a mess, litter everywhere, take a stroll past Mecca bingo on Stockfield road, I am desperate for a job so give me a little van and a few tools and our area will soon start looking nice. I have done volunteer work at the British heart foundation but I was told off at the job centre because they said I was not looking for work when i was working in the shop.
First of all well done and thanks you to each of the volunteers who took part in the litter pick on the Yardley Road which is fast becoming an eye sore. I live in Beeches Avenue and like Gerald and Lucy I also pick up litter in our Road, I also keep the drains outside and opposite our property clear, have watered the sapling Trees that were planted a few years ago and swept up many a bag of leaves that fell and piled up in the gutters over the autumn. As well as doing my bit I also pay my Council Tax each month and on time. While I am happy to do these things to try and keep our patch looking tidy, can someone please tell why so many fast food outlets have been allowed to open on the Yardley Road?
Thank you so much to Kate and all the volunteers. The litter in Acocks Green is dreadful, it really spoils our area. I really appreciate your efforts.
I live on Douglas Road and we suffer from householders putting rubbish out many days before collection, and putting out rubbish that’s not collectable or properly bagged and so can’t be collected. It falls out of bags and spreads across the street, and the piled-up bags are an eyesore. Properties who put out rubbish days before collection, or rubbish that’s not in a collectable state, need to be dealt with by the council. A particularly bad area is the beginning of Douglas Road at the Yardley Road end, where rubbish from properties on the Yardley Road gets dumped on the pavement. We try our best to tidy the area outside our own house but can’t do anything about the huge mountains of bags which are there for days, spilling rubbish all around!
Thank you to you all.
It’s without a doubt the main issue in our area.
I personally clean Sherbourne Road, Flint Green Road, Rooks Walk and part of Arden Road most days.
I am now an expertise on the offenders and the sources.
They are as follows;
1.) Rat Run Drivers throwing cans and fast food wrappings from cars and vans. Solution: 1.) Erect street signs warning that new legislation prosecutes the car owner for the offence(see House of lords Bill last month). 2.) Confront Big Johns(main offenders) and McDonalds with the problem at Head Office Public Relations Dept level and invite them to address the problem as “Sensitive environmentally aware retailers operating in our local area and being part cause of the problem” .Ask if they are aware of the problem ,present photographic evidence and invite them to participate(for fear of lack of care and complacency and seen as profit interested only).Invite to initiate an awareness campaign at their shops (if they “care”).
2.) Late night pedestrians making there way home from the pubs, fast food shops and off licences. Same as above include local off licences too to erect high viz signs showing that litter is a criminal offence minimum fine £60.00.
3.) Care workers visiting care homes throwing rubber gloves and other medical paraphernalia into the street. Confront the Care Homes.
4.) School children going to and from school. Confront the schools and invite to initiate an anti litter awareness campaign. The law is: When a minor is in uniform they are the schools responsibility and the school can be fined with evidence provided. When not in uniform it is the parents legal obligation and they carry the fine.
Of all the things that could radically improve our environment overnight it would be to set about this campaign and get litterers to desist
Yours sincerely
Gerald Hemming