A huge mountain of dumped waste collected in just three days from litterbug shoppers is hoping to urge Mancunians to bin their rubbish.
The two-metre high pile of rubbish was dumped in the middle of St Ann’s Square today and highlighted the waste that is blighting the city’s streets.
The Manchester City Council campaign hopes to tackle the problem and keep the city cleaner warning that on-the-spot fines will be issued if officers catch anyone dropping litter.
In the coming months 600 specially-designed bins, recycling units and more adverts will be rolled out across the city centre.
Councillor Bernard Priest said littering was an urgent problem that needed to be rectified as quickly as possible.
He said: “There has been a massive increase in the number of people visiting the city centre over recent years, while behaviour has deteriorated – with some people thinking it’s acceptable to drop litter.
“The City Council has been slow to move with these trends but we are now making a serious investment. We need to do our jobs better in order to aspire towards a cleaner city.”
DROP AS YOU SHOP? Council campaign aims to reduce litter
The mountain was just a drop in the ocean in terms of the amount of waste discarded, with one week’s worth of collecting off the streets was halted after three days as organisers said they already had enough to fill the space.
Councillor Priest added: “This is the quieter end of the year. It isn’t much compared to what we get in summer when there are more visitors and people outside.
“Manchester probably has the largest footfall of a city outside of London and we don’t want people to be put off.”
The majority of those who viewed the installation were supportive of its message but were dubious about the effect it would have on those who litter.
Mali, 30, from Worsley said: “I think that those who don’t litter will be appalled by the display here, but not surprised. I think the people who litter just don’t care.”
Dougie, 24, from the city centre said: “It’s cleaner than it was I think. We should want to make it better; it’s our hometown. I’m behind making it a cleaner place 100%.”
Jen, 45, from Sale said: “It’s nice to see that the council are getting involved with the problem by showing the public the extent of the problem.”
Matthew, 21, from Fallowfield said: “I think this display has its merits but I don’t think it will stop people littering. People just think it’s someone else’s problem to clean up.”
Councillors Joan Davies and Angela Whitehead who are also involved in the Keep our City Clean campaign were in St Ann’s Square.
BIN IT! Anti-litter campaignes urge people to use bins
Councillor Davies said: “A lot of residents, visitors and workers do complain to us about the situation on the streets.
“It’s hard to keep up with because we generate so much more litter now with all the takeaways.
“People also used to go to the countryside for holidays and now prefer city breaks instead.”
Councillor Whitehead added: “We need to change thinking habits. The idea that if one bin is full, then it’s ok to litter instead of hold on to it, needs to be changed – it’s never that far to another.”
Many pointed out existing problems that the council is now seriously addressing.
Hannah Jones, 30, from Salford, said: “Sometimes you’re looking for a bin and you can’t find one –we’re all guilty of it. They just need to be in better places and we need more of them.”
The display persuaded fifty people to sign up to volunteer to clean the streets within an hour.
Businesses including Transport for Greater Manchester and Keep Britain Tidy are also involved and are encouraging others to support the issue however they can.
The new bins have been paid for using £14.5million from the Clean City fund, which was set up following a lump sum from the City Council’s dividend in Manchester Airport.
For more information visit www.manchester.gov.uk/litter
