New bin to tackle litter outside school
A new bin has been installed outside a Halesowen primary school following complaints from teachers and pupils about litter and dog fouling.
Staff at St Margaret’s at Hasbury CE Primary School got in touch with Dudley Council for help after an increase in dog mess and litter outside.
The council promptly installed a new bin in School Lane and is also monitoring the area to see what other support can be given. The bin is dual purpose and takes litter as well as dog mess.
Sara Shepherd, head teacher at St Margaret’s at Hasbury CE primary School:
We promote positive character virtues in our children to ensure that they can become positive role models and successful citizens in their community. A few children came to me with concerns regarding rubbish and dog foul along School Lane which is a public right of way that runs through our split site school. They wanted to ‘sort’ the problem and shared their concerns during collective worship. Within a week the whole school had become actively involved and worked towards the goal of more bins in the area. Children wrote to their local MP and raised awareness through a video and posters they created. I am very proud of the children as they have all shown how they live by the Christian values of the school to make their community a better place. We feel it is important for our children to appreciate their role as part of a community and understand their impact and influence in the world. I would like to thank the council for their support and for acting so quickly to the children’s concerns in providing us with a new bin.
People face tough fines if they are caught littering including a £75 fixed penalty notice or even fines up to £2,500 if prosecuted through the courts. There are also penalties for failing to clean up after dogs including £100 fines under the Public Space Protection Order.
Councillor Shaz Saleem, cabinet member for highways and public realm, added:
We’re only too happy to help the school and it was lovely to see young people really developing their own ideas and showing they really care about where they live. Young voices are very important and it shows their care for our borough. We share their pride in the borough and hope that others too will see we all have a duty not to drop litter and to clean up after our pets. People who fail to follow the rules should be aware that we work hard to prosecute them which can really hit them in the pocket. We have teams out all of the time litter picking and clearing up other people’s mess, which is always a challenge. Initiatives like this with young people show that the future looks bright for this borough with people who care about their environment.
People can report litter and other issues to the council online at www.dudley.gov.uk
Ends
Pictured: (left to right) Councillor Shaz Saleem, Sara Shepherd and pupils Zachary Gore, Elijah Richards, Yvie Duquesney and Freya Deakin.