Features / flytipping
‘Barton Hill residents certainly deserve better’
Flytipping is increasingly becoming an ingrained part of the day-to-day experience in Barton Hill. You don’t have to walk for long around the neighbourhood before spotting items abandoned on the street side.
While the issue is widespread across the are, residents believe the situation on Marsh Lane has particularly worsened.
By late August, the two-minute stroll down the road in east Bristol was a hotspot for illegally dumped waste, with eyesores including a mattress outside Barton House, an empty gas canister on the corner of Granville Street, and a collection of general waste under a Banksy artwork.
is needed now More than ever
Refuse abandoned behind the planters on Victoria Avenue – Joss Thomas
Speaking to Bristol 24/7, Alexander Smith, a member of a monthly litter-picking group based at the Wellspring Centre in Barton Hill said: “I have noticed an increase in flytipping accumulating since June,” he stated, highlighting Marsh Lane as a particular problem area.
The depth of local frustration was starkly visible on FixMyStreet. A single look at the map of Barton Hill was telling, with a dense cluster of pins almost obscuring Marsh Lane, each representing a separate report that had remained unresolved for some time.
In fact some of these sites were acknowledged by Bristol Waste for over a month before they were dealt with, even though the organisation stated aim is to deal with the reported flytipping within 3 working days.
Trolleys ditched in Netham Park – image: Joss Thomas
When Bristol 24/7 first looked into this issue at the end of August, reports on FixMyStreet were being closed by Bristol Waste with the location marked as “inaccessible,” despite the waste being on the pavement.
After Smith followed up, Bristol Waste explained that newly implemented bus gates at either side of Marsh Lane had made access “challenging.” The bus gates were installed in June as part of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial, a scheme designed to reduce through-traffic and improve safety for residents.
A spokesperson from Bristol Waste said: “Bristol Waste are working closely with Bristol City Council to clear illegally dumped waste across the city as quickly as possible. In some parts of the city, clearances are more complicated than others and we are looking at all potential solutions that are available to us.”
“Illegally dumped waste (fly-tipping) harms our community and costs the city money. In Bristol, there are lots of ways to dispose of waste that are both legal and safe. There is no excuse for fly-tipping in our city.”
“We’re grateful to everyone who takes the time to report fly-tipping using the online platform FixMyStreet. Together, we keep Bristol safe, clean and sustainable.”
Following further reports, the majority of the refuse on Marsh Lane has now been cleared, bar an abandoned fridge freezer at the end of the road.
The discarded fridge was first reported on August 22 and still hasn’t been picked up – image: Joss Thomas
However, with these substantial delays for incomplete action and flytipping becoming a familiar sight, resident’s patience is wearing thin across Barton Hill.
Smith echoed these concerns: “I am glad to hear that the flytipping has finally been cleared, but I am very concerned that it took so long for action to be taken, and I sincerely hope that there will not be such long delays in removing any other fly-tips that may appear on the road in the future”.
“If the bus gates may once again prevent Bristol Waste’s activities in the near future, then that is a matter that needs to be urgently addressed by Bristol City Council to prevent Bristol Waste’s access being restricted again.”
“Barton Hill residents certainly deserve better.”
Bristol24/7 has contacted Bristol City Council for a comment.
Main photo: Joss Thomas
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