Coundon residents resort to blitzing litter-ridden city streets

[dutchman]

Their 'super group' takes to the streets in Coventry every day



A group of fed up Coventry residents who joined forces to create a 'super group' to clear Coventry's streets say they have never been busier.

'Coventry Clean Up' was set up by Coundon resident Jac Danielle a year ago to tackle what she says were growing levels of rubbish appearing in Coventry's parks, residential roads and green spaces.

She says the group is made of residents who feel "tested" by the levels of litter in Coventry.

Coventry Clean Up has grown rapidly since they were founded one year ago, meeting daily to tackle the city's litter problem.

Jac told CoventryLive they are out on the streets every day cleaning up mess and targeting problem neighbourhoods.

"It definitely has been really busy. We are doing picks every weekend and a lot more people have joined onto the group.

"I never really expected it to take off the way it did, I've done radio interviews and things, we have some great connections with the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the Canal and River Trust," she told CoventryLive.

February 6 marks one year of Coventry Clean Up and, as Jac explained, it has evolved into a huge operation.

"People arrange picks every weekend. There's even people on the group that are out every day. There is a pick somewhere every day in Coventry.

"Everyone in the group is really friendly and we even had someone who came and said 'I'm a recovering alcoholic' - it gives people friendship, something to do," she said.

Jac explained that Coventry Clean Up is an umbrella group that has brought together litter picking groups across Coventry, and they go wherever they are needed.

"Walsgrave, Tile Hill, Cheylesmore, Canley, Earlsdon, Radford, everywhere people are out," she said.

CoventryLive has reported on piled up rubbish, fly-tipping and vermin since the bin driver strikes have impacted waste collections.

Has this added to the work of Coventry Clean Up? Jac said: "We have definitely seen an increase in the amount of litter on the streets. People are hopeful bins are going to get collected and then they're not.

"There's rubbish flying down the street and there's a massive increase in litter.

"The waste collection sites aren't accessible for everybody."

Jac explained that there are persistent hotspots such as Holyhead Road and anywhere in the vicinity of a fast food restaurant.

Coventry Clean Up are always looking for new members: "There's dog walkers that bring their kids, people from the community, elderly people, it's a really great community spirit, there's no pressure to do too much, just do what you can.

"[The group] feel tested - by the environment around them, tested by the council because a lot of people think it's the council's problem but there simply isn't enough resource for the council to do this. They feel tested by the beliefs of other people, that it's someone else's problem."