Published: Tuesday, 08th November 2022
Oldham Council are sprucing up the borough as part of the Don’t Trash Oldham campaign.
Last week our Environmental teams started work in St James and Waterhead as part of our new ‘betterment’ programme of activity - supporting communities to look after their neighbourhoods.
So far, our staff have been busy planting Spring flowering bulbs, removing grass that has grown over footpaths, getting rid of algae from seating and street signs, plus we’ve rejuvenating shrub beds.
Over the coming year we’ll be carrying out a rolling betterment initiative across the borough.
We’ll be working with local ward councillors to prioritise work that is important to residents, such as: grass cutting and hedge trimming; fence/railing painting; and gully cleaning.
We will look at other requests - if money is available – for improvements, including playground markings in alleys and the planting of greenery and wildflower meadows.
All this work is on top of the day-to-day duties, such as litter picking and emptying street bins, which our teams continue to delivery all year round.
Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “The first year of Don’t Trash Oldham was a real success.
“Our staff, residents and partner organisations cleaned up communities and made a real difference.
“Through our betterment campaign we want to build on that good work and deliver a cleaner and greener borough by carrying out jobs that some people might think are small but can make a real difference to the look of our communities.”
Alongside this improvement work the council will continue to target those who are dumping waste and blighting our communities.
We will carry on handing out fines – fixed penalty notices – and prosecuting those who dump waste and leave others to clean it up.
As part of the campaign, we have identified 38 hotspot areas where more than 60 per cent of fly-tipping incidents were reported. Of these, 29 are residential hotspots, which over the coming year will be the focus for intensive engagement, enforcement and interventions by officers.
Tackling incidents in the remaining nine areas will be handled by a variety of measures, including newly acquired deployable CCTV cameras and joint working with social landlords.
The CCTV cameras recently captured three incidents of fly-tipping at one site – the people responsible can expect to face legal action.
Cllr Chadderton added: “We need our communities to work with us to keep the areas where they live and work clean and report people who blight them so we can take action.”
For more information on Don’t Trash Oldham – and to report environmental crimes – visit www.oldham.gov.uk/donttrasholdham