Ask Alex

[Alex Glass]

the rubbish collection in general in Glasgow is pathetic and i find it to be a real embarassment to the city.

We all have to walk through rubbsish piles every day it seems. it is especially bad on pedestrianised area like Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street.

there is something incompatable between the desire to have a 'cafe culture' in the streets and then sitting on a metal chair on a manky bit of paving surrounded by piles of office and shop refuse.

gah, im about to get into a rant about the bulk uplift on the south-side and the ignorant wankers that leave it all out for a week! but i dont have the time so will have to stop it there and go kill a puppy or something to relieve the stress.....

Please review SmartAlex's photos in this thread

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6434&start=50

As for the situation on Buchanan Street I have been informed by a reliable source aout the situation here and will report the problem to the Environmental Enforcement Department to see what action can be taken.

Your frustration about the situation in the South Side is felt by everyone. Sadly all previous efforts to resolve this problem have failed. Although I don't live there I do know exactly how you feel. Hopefully everyone together will keep working on finding a solution that addresses the problems with the bulk uplift in the South Side.

[Bingo Bango]

Oh im not having a go at the cleansers really - i am more frustrated by the general policy of having shops/pubs etc put all their rubbish out on the street/pavement edge etc which can then be spread all over the street.

also it is never packaged very well which means things spill out and mark the ground and never get picked up entirely.

it is a personal bug bear of mine and really gets me amazingly down.

[Mark N]

Is there a problem with rubbish collection generally on the South Side, ie not just with the bulk uplift service ? The reason I ask is that in the 2-and-a-bit months I've lived here, we never seem to have had a regular, reliable domestic collection. Sometimes it seems like they do come weekly, but more often than not we can go for 3-4 weeks without a collection. Once my close's bin store got so full you could hardly get into it from the back lane as the door opens inwards, so I was getting worried that even if the bin men came, we still wouldn't have our rubbish collected because they wouldn't be able to access the store (luckily, they found a way).

[onyirtodd]

............................Once my close's bin store got so full you could hardly get into it from the back lane as the door opens inwards, so I was getting worried that even if the bin men came, we still wouldn't have our rubbish collected because they wouldn't be able to access the store (luckily, they found a way).

They must have spotted something they fancied.

[My Kitten]

Oh im not having a go at the cleansers really - i am more frustrated by the general policy of having shops/pubs etc put all their rubbish out on the street/pavement edge etc which can then be spread all over the street.

also it is never packaged very well which means things spill out and mark the ground and never get picked up entirely.

it is a personal bug bear of mine and really gets me amazingly down.

aye, whats the point in companies paying for the bags if they dont think about where they put them. As soon as the places are shut there are bags of stuff sitting at the kerbside for hours untilthe collection is made. That if they do use the bags mind, theres a company in Coustonholm Road who takes his rubbish out the shop and places it in the bin on the lampost along the road from his business.

We all know glaswegians are manky gits, but the general dirt that lies on the street isnt too good. I had the pleasure of watching 5 cleansing department chaps at Pollokshaws East, well one was workign the other 4 chatting. The one working was picking up stuff with one of those picker upper thingies when really a shovel and a brush wouldve been better.

Alex, do you know if there is any interagency communication regarding cleansing? I ask specifically about the continual pigeon crap on the pavement under the station and the no mans land at birness drive which seems to be a no mans land between Land Services and New Shaws Housing Organisation.

[Alex Glass]

Firstly BB I fully understand your frustration. Litter is one of the biggest problems in the city and not just the centre.

However the more the council does the more it gets the blame when sometimes it is as Kitten says manky people who think that it is ok to dump their rubbish on the street and leave it for someone else to take care of.

Mark N I am only aware of the continual problem with bulk dumping. The main problem being people unwilling to wait until the designated day to put out any bulk items for collection.

If you are experiencing regular problems please either contact your local councillor or let me know and we will get it investigated. I don't want to appear to be making excuses but if there are access problems this may be causing a problem with the regular uplift. But it is important that you complaint so that you get the same service as everyone else.

Kitten

I have the same problem with the bridge on Nitshill Road. It is difficult to resolve as there is a reluctance to prevent pigeons from roosting on the girders. Another problem is that Network Rail own the bridge whilst the Council has responsibility for keeping the street clean.

I don't mind trying again to get something done here (you may recall that I was promised previously that the area would be cleaned) but could I suggest that it may be something that the local Community Council ny be interested in discussing with the local Cleansing Manager at one of their meetings. It would also help if either you or people that you know are willing to complaint to the Executive Director of Land and Environmental Services, Robert Booth. That way it may get some regular attention. Cleaning it once only solves the problem for a very short time.

In answer to the question that you asked. Council departments should interact with each other. The new Community Safety Services brings together departments to tackle problems such as graffiti and litter. There is a Charter for each area and I am sure that if there is an active Community Council for the area they will be best placed to ensure that this issue is highlighted as a problem.

Hope that helps.

[Bingo Bango]

Absolutely Alex - i remember thinking the very same thing just the other day, that because there is a bulk uplift people will just abuse the system.

here is a case in point: way way back in the mists of time, last monday to be exact, at the end of my street there was a house that had put a fridge freezer out for collection. further down the street there was a smaller similar thing. (how come SO many people are throwing stuff out - it seems to be a never ending cycle of skin-shedding)

anyway, as the day wore on more stuff got put out and there was a nice big pile accumulated. The bin men duly arrived on whatever day and took all the other stuff and left the fridge freezer (quite right in my opinion) now, this week the FF is still lying there and now there are large piles of rubble and brick and stone sitting, all coming from the same flat i assume.

2 points from this. 1: If things like fridge freezers and rubble etc are not included in bulk uplift (as i dont think they should be given the environmental considerations) how can the bin men effectively communicate this to the resident? maybe some big sticker or something goes on the item saying sorry but we cant uplift this ring this number to arrange something?

2: the rules for bulk uplift should be tightened - all too often i see little piles of rubbish put out at a close or on the street. a poly bag with a wee bit of crap in it (sometimes literally), a pizza box and a couple of beer cans, someone last week had a new tv aerial so put only the cardboard box out - FOR FUCKS SAKE PEOPLE THAT IS SIMPLY LITTERING.

i know i was saying how poor the look of the city center was when the bags go out from shops, but this sort of thing in a residential area is just unacceptable. bulk uplift should be strict - bag it, box it (in GCC approved bozes etc that you get by phoning in advance maybe?) THEN leave it on the street max 2 days before pickup. Otherwise the city becomes a constant dumping ground as as i said above there are ALWAYS people throwing bulk items out.....

Gah im all tense now!

[My Kitten]

thanks Alex,

will get into them all, especially with the amount of money (and private housing) that will soon be appearing

[udrigle]

Hi Alex, i would like to ask if you or the council, know anything about a couple of billboards that are up around Nitshill road advertising the recently upgraded B & Q store at Darnley Mains, it seems this is now in Barrhead acording to the advert. If that's the case can i claim back the difference in council tax between Barrhead and glasgow as i stay near it?

thanks
p.s. I walked round some of the new paths taking shape off from the new houses in parkhouse road [i assume as part of the Darnley Mills project.] Excellent work and good views, i will try and get back again soon with a camera.

[Alex Glass]

Hi Alex, i would like to ask if you or the council, know anything about a couple of billboards that are up around Nitshill road advertising the recently upgraded B & Q store at Darnley Mains, it seems this is now in Barrhead acording to the advert. If that's the case can i claim back the difference in council tax between Barrhead and glasgow as i stay near it?

thanks
p.s. I walked round some of the new paths taking shape off from the new houses in parkhouse road [i assume as part of the Darnley Mills project.] Excellent work and good views, i will try and get back again soon with a camera.

Hi udrigle

Unfortunately there is no control over how shops describe their location. It doesn't mean anything to the actual council boundary so you will still need to pay your Glasgow Council Tax - sorry.

Glad you like the new paths. Although they lead to the area designated as Dams to Darnley Country Park they are part of the overall network of paths. There is currently a consultation on the paths network if you have not seen this document I would be happy to arrange for a copy to be sent to you.

[Dexter St. Clair]

You know if Darnley etc and the rest of the peripheral schemes did leave Glasgow to be part of adjacent local authorities like East Renfrewshire both their and our council tax bills would go down.

[udrigle]

Thanks for the offer Alex, but i have seen the plans, i really hope they come to fruition this time.
I have lived in the area and walked those fields for years and many of the established paths alongside the burn and up to the dams, have been neglected, despite many promises to develop and maintain them.
The footpath running from nitshill road to the dams,alongside the burn on the Corselet road side is now almost completely overgrown in places. Because of this many local people and families have stopped using it. This time i hope the developers and the councils can get an agreement that will work to keep this resource maintained and accessible for the public.

[AndrewM]

Kitten, I think the bridge you are talking about is on the boundary of our community council area. I will ask the Clean Glasgow South East Area Co-ordinator (what a title) to add it to the list of hot spots. I wouldn't hold your breath though as the Clean Glasgow campaign in Shawlands didn't really happen as all of the resources were being used in Govanhill.

Bingo Bango, the Council should be able to supply you with a bulk uplift poster for your close telling you what they will collect and when. They will collect a fridge free of charge but it has to be called in and can take up to 15 working days.

On a positive note if anyone has a problem with graffiti the Council are really good at getting it cleaned off.

[Alex Glass]

A couple of updates for previous issues.

1. At a meeting today I raised the issue of the bins in Buchanan Street. It was explained that there is no offence being broken with the bins being located in the street. However this will be raised with the owners to see if something can be done to overcome some problems with other shop/restaurant owners in this area. Hopefully something can be done to have the bins relocated off the street. If I hear any further news I will let you know.

2. At the same meeting a local Councillor raised the issue of the pigeon droppings under at least 3 bridges in and around the Pollokshaws area. Action will be taken to address this problem. It was explained that the department are looking at having a dedicated resource to tackle this type of problem. So hopefully we should see some action to address this problem.

I am sure that the area where pigeon droppings is an issue will be highlighted as a hot spot following the discussion that took place at the meeting.

Well done Kitten it looks like your efforts to highlight this problem are finally seeing action.

[My Kitten]

hurrrah, its not as bad as druggies but pigeons ooof! Doesnt seem much but dodging them every day and walking through their excrement in your new shoes isnt much good.

Now whats next on my list of moans....