Lewi, Luke, Mahir, Mason, Muna, Leah, Josie, Hakeely
The pupils from Holmleigh primary school have been worried about the amount of littering and rubbish and they really want to make a change.
The pupils started discussing this problem after their trip to ecoActive at the Leaside Trust on 7 March.
Luke, a year 5 student, said that it was an amazing activity as they were helping the environment and having fun in the canoes at the same time. Leaside educates children to learn about nature and the harm litter does. At Leaside, children learn how to canoe and learn about animals and the environment. Year 5 travelled to Leaside to see the litter in the river and the detrimental impact of this littering.
According to the pupils, glass, bottles, drinks, fridges, sofas, chairs, tables, bags, old mattresses, beds and many other items have all been dumped on the streets, football pitches and other play areas.
Mahir, a year 5 student, has said: “When I was playing football in the park, I fell over and cut my hands due to the broken glass bottles on the floor.”
Marlon, aged 10, said: “One morning, I was going to school, but when I tried to open it the door didn’t open because there were three fridges and several chairs by my front door, and I actually had to go through my neighbour’s window.’’
Year 5 contacted their local councillors and were told that police officers do not enforce litter and fly tipping laws, as that is up to the councils.
Year 5 also contacted their local MP, Diane Abbott, who explained that there is a lot of litter but there are some clean up groups where people volunteer to help stop litter.
All Hackney streets receive a minimum of two cleaning visits a week, where streets are cleaned and bins are emptied. There are over 1000 litter bins located on Hackney streets providing access to waste and recycling.
The local Stamford Hill councillors refused to reply, so the class contacted the Woodberry Down councillors who replied and explained that the money collected from fines for littering and fly tipping can be put towards improving local recycling facilities.
The Woodberry Down councillors said: “Business owners should take steps to make sure their customers and employees do not drop litter in the area of their premises.”
Woodberry Down councillors, Caroline Selman and Sarah Young, said that to reduce food waste, businesses must separate and track food waste. Additionally they should either establish a food waste policy with staff training, engage in preserving or upcycling food, work with redistribution partners, or give away food that is at risk of waste to staff.
The class asked Woodberry Down councillors if they think that we need more police officers to enforce fines, and when there are fines, what happens to the money?
On Monday 10 May, Stamford Hill Unites came to year 5 to answer questions about the current situation. They are trying to end littering and fly-tipping in Hackney. They explained that there needs to be more education as some people just don’t really know where to put their waste. Stamford Hill is a crowded place.
Stamford Hill Unites are planning multiple open public meetings to encourage people to stop littering and stop the detrimental impact of littering.
