I Cannot Understand How People Can Behave In This Way

Hi Janey, When I lived in the city, this was a common problem with our alleys and there was a lot of fly-tipping going on in the alleys also. They talked about having gates put on but there was a hue and cry from the property owners about builders getting access etc. It was mostly student accomodation and they would often miss the bin-collection day and put it out late. In the end, me and some of the "older" residents decided to do something about it through our local member of Parliament. Apparently he would get action faster it was so to speak, a political issue and he didn't want to get ousted at the next local elections. Well, it worked, but it meant having a volunteer go around and taking notes of where the rubbish was left in the lanes and e-mailing the MP with the facts - Well that was me as nobody elsed could be bothered, but I had seen several rats that were being attracted to the old mattresses for nesting material etc, not to mention strewing rotting food across the lanes. After I began e-mailing my reports, wuite often, on the same day, a dustcart would arrive and it would be removed to a special yard, where they would sift through the rubbish and discover who it belonged to and in most cases they would find an address, if not a name. There was a fine, and it was something like £50, plus a letter to the landlord who's responsibility it was to make sure that his student tenants knew the local by-laws on rubbish tipping. Within 3/4 weeks there was a hell of a difference. They got the message of when they had to put out their rubbish. What used to annoy me was that the rules were simple.. Bin collection was on a Wednesday and we were to make sure that Tuesday night our bins were out and ready for collection. I would have thought that somebody with the intelligence to get into university could have worked that out. People often said to me that it wasn't my responsibility, but if I hadn't taken a daily walk that took about 15 minutes and noted what had been dumped, nobody else would have and it would have remained just the same. It may be worth thinking about your MP and possibly e-mailing him with some pictures perhaps and indicating that you were thinking of sending them to the local rag. It would then enter into the local politics and that may make a difference up where you are. Down here in Wales it does seem to make a difference. Hope you get it cleared one way or another anyway.._Derek

Our roads are privately-owned and once in awhile, we'll start to see a lot of junk laying around. Usually, someone walking or driving the roads will pick it up. But on a couple of occasions, we've organized neighborhood clean-ups...and they actually work. Of course, we have to have a party afterwards. We usually have a clean-up day on the weekend, followed by a potluck. Maybe, something like that would work... And it would be chance to get the neighbors together... Maybe, if you got to know each other better, some wouldn't be so noisy, some wouldn't throw trash in the alley... But it would require an "organizer"...you up for that?

Well unfortunately I have seen an experienced things simular to this before here in the US as well. And truthfully it usually did no good to complain as everyone always tended to point to someone else giving them the Blame. Personally I wish more places could be more aware of things like this and set some good Ground rules and stick to them or Fine the ones who are breaking them as well. Best thing to do is find out if you have anything to back you with, and if not maybe it is time to move on and hope you can find something better.

since its private can't a group of residents just gather together and clean the mess up. maybe i'm being ignorant because i haven't a any pictures to see the size of all the rubbish. i wonder how long it took all that junk to accumulate your referring to.

Assuming that the residents put their rubbish out in the right place and that this rubbish is mostly the tenants then I think that this is a matter for the landlords. If their tenants make a mess and won't clear it up, then the Council should move it and send the bill to the landlords. Prosecuting them if they don't pay. My daughter lived in a street of brand new town houses at university. The estate had private roads. The managing agents simply whacked a high maintenance charge onto the house owners who then passed the cost onto their tenants. They also clamped cars that were parked in the road rather than resident parking bays! Pity they couldn't do anything about the loud music that seemed to play all day and all night. I would have hated to live there myself! I hope that something is sorted for you soon. I don't think that it is at all fair that you should be put off going into the alley because of the thoughtlessness of others.

Hiya Janey, Sorry to hear about that situation of the Alleyways over there where you live. The Council where I lived never cleaned up the rubbish that People used to tip on the grass fields either. It went on like that for Years and it was only moved when a Contractor came in and built new Houses on the Land itself. So that put a stop to the dumpers of rubbish as well. Here we have a sort of Rubbish Collector if you like to call it that they will collect old things that you have as you are not allowed to dump them in the Bins or on the Street. You do have to wait in though to make sure they come and pick it all up they don´t give you any money but at least you know that the stuff is in better hands than someone else´s. So it´s really better than nothing. I would have thought they might have something going like that over there too. They just do like the Rag and Bone Man as they called him used to do or if you like Steptoe and Son. I know how it feels. Every two Doors on the Street where I lived for a while in England they had their Dogs loose all the time and they were vicious things with no safety muzzle on their mouths either. On my way to work I had to sort my way through them with my Son who was very small then and more than once I was on the edge of being bitten. Those Neighbours saw what the Dogs were doing but they did nothing just close the Curtain and go off somewhere. Hope it gets sorted out for you all somehow or another. Take care now.xxx

It would be better if you could take snaps of the people dumping stuff. I do not understand why it is not someone's responsibility to clean it up. If it could be picked up if it could go out front, I have no idea why they do not put it on the front curb. We have to haul our large stuff off, and yard waste as well. If we have mess in our yard they can come in and clean it out and bill us. It is a shame that people are being that way.

"do a runner"? Anyway, yeah I wouldn't like living in a trash heap either. Over here the city would probably require the landlord to take care of the problem.

You should go to the council with this. the mess in the alleyway in intoleratable and disgusting. the EVh did find the culprits and should punish them accordingly. if they don't take care of the problem put the matter into the communities hands. Band together and see how much of a difference you can make in this situation.