Council supports national campaign on waterways litter
Posted on 22 Aug 2024
Photo shows (from left) Streetscene Environmental Enforcement Officer Steven Lyon; ScotRail Adopt A Station volunteer Phyllis Khanna, volunteer Anne Bell, Streetscene Strategy Officer Steven Arnott and volunteer Bob Watts
North Ayrshire Council’s Streetscene team is backing a national campaign to prevent litter making its way into rivers and canals.
Discarded materials including, oils, fats and cigarette butts – which are toxic - often end up in waterways after being dumped into roadside gutters.
The campaign has been adopted by community groups and is pushing the message that “The Sea Starts Here”.
Awareness is being raised by spraying temporary, biodegradable pavement stencils around drains and grates in the street to make people aware that their litter could end up in the sea if not disposed of correctly.
Water pollution is caused by things like plastic bottles and wipes being dumped irresponsibly and puts wildlife at risk of injury.
Any litter that goes through gullies has a negative impact on the environment - and the beautiful coastline - in North Ayrshire. Cigarette litter still accounts for 68.5 per cent of all litter deposited on our streets.
The Council’s Streetscene team has been working in partnership with Dalry Station Garden Group (DSGG) to spray eco-friendly stencils on drains near the railway station to help raise awareness of The Sea Starts Here initiative, dog fouling and general littering.
The DSGG was started back in 2015 to help improve the station environment and volunteers have received support from Streetscene on litter messaging and pavement stencilling on the surrounding streets.
Council Fly-tipping Officer Alan Scott said: “This work is a great example of us working in partnership with a community group to improve the environment for everyone.
“The aim of the stencils is to make people think about their litter and consider how they dispose it.”
DSGG volunteer Anne Bell added: “We are delighted to be working alongside the Council to try and encourage people to responsibly dispose of their litter, dog waste and things like oils and fats – which are often tipped into drains.”
Thomas Reaney, Head of Service for Neighbourhood Services at the Council, said people living and working in communities across North Ayrshire have an important role to play when it comes to littering.
“Anything that is dumped into a drain could end up in our waterways, and this can be hazardous to wildlife as well as polluting our streams and rivers.
“Semi-permanent stencilling is a good way to help raise awareness of different types of littering as it catches the eye and is a reminder to residents to dispose of litter and waste responsibly.”
To report litter issues to North Ayrshire Council, please go online to https://tinyurl.com/3xkhsudm