Pick up your litter, urges man behind online campaign

The man behind a social media campaign to rid Newark of rubbish blighting the town says the problem is getting worse.

Mr Robert Dunning set up the Newark’s Shame Twitter account two years ago.

He was fed up with litter being left in various locations, and wanted people to take more responsibility for their waste.

The lifelong Newark resident stopped posting photographs on the Twitter feed for a while because he was tired of putting up the same type of pictures, but has recently resumed.

The areas Mr Dunning has highlighted during the past fortnight include Beacon Hill, Friary Park, Clay Lane, and by the River Trent.

“I went for a walk down the riverbank the other day and it was absolutely appalling,” said Mr Dunning, 40, a building inspector.

“The situation in the town is getting worse. People are working hard to keep it tidy but there are some selfish people out there.

“It is an ongoing problem. Clay Lane is pretty bad and it is possibly because it is a quiet area.

“Newark and Sherwood District Council is obviously keen to clean up the rubbish, but it shouldn’t always be down to them — people should take responsibility.

“The problem is far too big for a council to deal with and there are pressures on their budget.

“Why should taxpayers have to foot the bill when people should pick up their own rubbish?”

'Education is the main thing'

Mr Dunning thought the situation had been made worse in the past week by strong winds that had blown rubbish around, as it accumulated in corners and other sheltered areas.

He said some residents needed to be informed about the impact littering had on the community.

“Education is the main thing,” Mr Dunning said.

“People should not be dropping rubbish in the first place. They need to just take it home and put it in a bin.”

The district council operates three large sweepers and one small sweeper daily, in addition to a dedicated cleaner for Newark town centre (in partnership with the town council).

It also has two hit squads that clean main roads and tackle fly-tipping, and grounds maintenance teams that keep parks and green spaces clean and tidy.

The district council’s waste management assistant business manager, Mr Matt Adey, said: “While we strive to maintain high standards of street cleaning across the district, it is an endless task.

“We are grateful to the wider public for their support in keeping the district clean and tidy but regrettably there is still a minority of people who fail to dispose of their litter responsibly.”

Areas of litter can be reported online at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/streetcleaning

Which areas do you think are the worst for littering in Newark? Let us know in the comments section below.