Let’s clear up how some of the people living amongst this are dealing with this, what the issues involved are? And how students can help to change this?
Jesmond Litter. Image by: Grace Bamforth
Having house parties with several bottles of alcohol. Arriving back after a night-out with a McDonalds bag. Emptying your car filled with coffee cups to supply your caffeine needs. We all know how the litter around Jesmond appears, more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day.
In the windy months and student filled Jesmond, litter surges. That of disposable waste: Vapes, cans, glass bottles, become an accessory to Jesmond streets and an eye sore to residents. Rats have a field day, but no one wants them living in our back-alley ways, with a total of 1,785 rat reports received by each council in Newcastle 2022. Habits of dropping litter or piling it up into an overflowing bin continues and many students are unsure on how to change this, but others have plans to stop this.
Interview with Rebecca Wilson, Newcastle City Councils Recycling Engagement Team Leader. Filmed and edited by: Grace Bamforth
While there are litterers among us, permanent residents take matters into their own hands. On a crisp morning at Jesmond Cricket Club, I met 20 volunteers to de-litter the streets of Jesmond as part of Keep Jesmond Clean. On 11 November 2023, 25 bags of litter were collected, which is a regular amount that has happened for the past seven years.
I spoke to some of the resident participants on what the effects of litter are and how they change this.
Anna Pepperall: ‘It just feels as though we are living in a rubbish bin’. Image by: Grace Bamforth
The unattractive litter is something Anna Pepperall notices in her everyday Jesmond life. The Treasurer for Keep Jesmond Clean has lived in Jesmond for 30 years and picking up litter has become part of her everyday routine. ‘It just feels that we live in an uncared-for-area, it’s embarrassing if we have visitors because they can’t believe we live like this and I hate to say it, you get used to seeing it,” she explains.
Litter has been increasing in Jesmond and Pepperall relates this back to an increase in students not taking action to help. Keep Jesmond Clean is a community action group which aims to reduce litter and promote recycling by doing monthly litter picks. With 48% people admitting to dropping litter, authority to Planet Earth Games, there is a large build up in Jesmond each month.
Keep Jesmond Clean litter pick. Images by: Grace Bamforth
Walking down Osborne Road, you dodge smashed glass dispersed across pathways, especially after Wednesday sports socials. For Pepperall this is a big issue as she lives with glass outside her home, “it’s very distressing to see broken glass where bottles have been left on the side of walls before people get into taxis, and there’s animals, there’s young children and it’s just a horrible thing to be constantly seeing,” she says. So, why make a change?
“We want to contribute and be a part of the place rather than just living here” –Michael Holland
For Michael Holland and Sarah Lewis, collecting litter and recycling is a key aspect within their lifestyle. Volunteering for Keep Jesmond Clean is a way for them to get to know their community. According to Policy Exchange, it costs over £1billion a year to clear litter, so volunteers like this are needed more than ever. “My primary concern with litter is the wider ecological impact it will have, the microparticles which come integral into the waterways, then become integral into the ecosystems and food systems, is genuinely terrifying and it all starts at home,” worries Lewis.
According to Texas Disposal, eight million tons of plastic waste finds its way into the ocean. Lewis, having a background in ecological studies, believes there is an increase in single use items, resulting in more litter. The broken glass on streets is an issue for her since cycling to work every day, she has been caught by this.
Tanya Pretswell: “Litter is a huge problem as is broken glass, if you see litter people think that it’s okay to drop litter.” Image by: Grace Bamforth
Every week Tanya Pretswell, North Jesmond’s Councillor and Committee for Keep Jesmond Clean spends around three hours dedicating her time to collecting other people’s litter, along with organising equipment for the monthly litter pick. “We try every month to make a difference and it is heart breaking when you are in the area three, four days later and your impact isn’t showing any longer,” says Pretswell.
The summer litter pick was cancelled due to students going back to their permanent residencies. But, the Cllr and resident of 50 years struggles to keep Jesmond clean, “we want people to join us, the more people there are, the more we can get litter picked.” The next litter pick is on 9 December. So, how do we change this as students?
Tanya Pretswell: Audio edited and recorded by: Grace Bamforth
Dropping your finished vape or leaving your glass bottles seems like an easy option, but for resident’s, change cannot come soon enough, “I think if people could start by not dropping things, generally taking more care in their area,” advises Pepperall. So, until we get involved, don’t be surprised if you’re welcoming street rats into your community.
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