Any comments for my meeting with Veolia managers tomorrow?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by GillianM on June 14, 2011 at 13:59

Hi Liz

Just been out and everything looks spotless!

However the bottom of Cavendish has been a problem recently - lots of rubbish strewn about. Although have to say not noticed it in the last couple of weeks.

Another issue on Cavendish is the fly tipping outside Dostlar at the bottom. Dostlar  deal with their waste very well and have even tried to discourage people dumping bags outside but this is a daily occurrence.

Also I would second (third...etc) the violet bags problem and the impact this has on dumping.

Can we access the timetables for street cleaning, rubbish collection etc? Would be good to know when to expect it to be done.

Finally - and probably one for another discussion - the terrible state of Finsbury Park recently. Mountains of rubbish around overflowing bins, and first thing in the morning (well, 9.30....) the play park littered with rubbish and broken glass. But not Veolia I understand.

 

Thanks for your efforts!

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Permalink Reply by alex bailey on June 14, 2011 at 14:05

Hi liz,

Just on a positive note the Veolia guys knocked part of my front wall down and we're very quick to address my complaint and rebuild the wall and decorate. I was expecting to have a battle and so was very impressed. 

What seemed a little strange to me was the big motorized road sweeper that drove down Fairfax Road the other morning. I guess they have to try to do it occasionally but with all the cars parked there it was a rather futile attempt. I think the guys on foot can be much more effective. 

Good luck!

Alex

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Permalink Reply by maggie on June 14, 2011 at 14:27

Hi Liz, this may be a council thing rather than Veolia. Certain houses, and they are mainly HMOs, get through an amazing amount of rubbish with multiple bins piled high to overflowing and on the whole do not use any of the recycling bins. Would it be an idea to target these houses with the aim of a bit of recycling education and encouragement.

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Permalink Reply by Candy on June 14, 2011 at 14:37

How much are Veola employees paid and what are their working conditions like. Pensions holiday entitlements etc. I have heard that they are not good

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on June 14, 2011 at 14:50

Liz, I hope this crowd-sourced approach can extend beyond your meeting with Veolia.

I appreciate everyone's time constraints. (Also that the cuts mean less enforcement staff.) But I foresee potential benefits from a constructive, open, online dialogue - in some form - with both Veolia and Haringey's Waste Management staff.

Reading these posts it's clear that residents can make the sort of thoughtful detailed local observations which help build up your  "ethnography of dumping and litter". Understanding the 'where', 'what', 'when', 'who' and 'why' can be valuable in suggesting possible solutions.

Abi: I was especially interested in your explanation about the litter bins left open. The photos and locations should be very helpful - especially since Haringey's webissars don't block HoL photos!

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

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Permalink Reply by Abi on June 14, 2011 at 16:07

 

Hi Alan. Thanks for taking an interest - this is a Seven Sisters Ward problem (I think) so I should really mention it to local councillors here as well.

Yes, I am pretty sure this is why it has been done because I 'reported a problem' online about the the overflowing bins a few months ago, and within a couple of days all the bins I mentioned had been opened up and they have been left that way ever since. Clearly not an accident. Anyway, some lovely photos are attached: they are looking all neat at the moment because it's dustbin day, but come Friday  there is usually rubbish piling up all around.

What get me is that it is completely obvious where the rubbish is coming from (mostly a parade of shops) so I really don't know why somebody can't just be sent to talk to the culprits and sort out a better solution for all involved rather than inviting further littering. I know things are tight, but this just seems like such a desperate and ineffectual 'fix'!

They all look like this now.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on June 14, 2011 at 15:13

Thanks to all those who have come up with suggestions so far.

The area managers of Veolia are members of HOL and I have drawn their attention and local councillors to the presence of this thread.

Just a couple of points. There are time constraints tomorrow so we will mainly focus on Harringay issues on the walkabout, I think. I will certainly draw their attention to non Harringay issues mentioned, but I would urge interested parties to make contact with Veolia themselves to arrange walkabouts, all I did was email and ask for a meet up. Taking someone around your neighbourhood is the best way to help them see your viewpoint, I think. Some problems, such as purple bag collection are borough wide but many are location specific and may need very local solutions. 

Alan, with the apparent quiet death of the Community Volunteer programme, I agree that we are going to need to get the sort of discussions once held through programmes such as CVs done in a different way. I am very much for focused, short time commitment approach rather than being forced to join committees or turn up for years on end to meetings to get things done and I think online dialogue helps that process (which is not to say that meetings etc do not have their place, it's just that many people don't have the time or inclination for that sort of engagement while still taking a strong interest in the matters they meet about). 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Abi on June 14, 2011 at 15:53

Good luck with it all- you're brave for putting this one out there! Sounds like you'll have quite a lot to discuss :)

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Permalink Reply by Madeline on June 14, 2011 at 16:50

Could you ask them about multi-occupancy dwellings.

I share a small front yard with my neighbour and last week she filled her bin and put out 14 binbags which effectively blocked her bin in. Mine was already out but when the dustman came along, after much cursing, they proceded to dump her binbags in my dustbin cubicle. I challeneged them and they pulled them back out and by standing on the wall, lifted her bin out and emptied it but left all the binbags in situ.

As they were still there this week I left my bin in it's cubicle to stop the binmen dumping the binbags there again. Please congratulate them because fair play to them, they again climbed on the wall and lifted not only her bin, but my bin as well, over the wall to empty them. Not often you have to admire a little bit of 'going beyond' ingenuity.

Anyway, can you ask them what happens in a case like this and how many extra binbags they will take from a property like this.

This is an ongoing problem up and down my road.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Newman on June 14, 2011 at 17:10

Hi Liz
Please send our thanks to Veolia for really cleaning our streets deeper ie the cig butts are actually being swept away.
I cant seem to get a date out of Veolia for weed spraying the streets - some weeds are now 2ft and higher - A programme of spraying would be appreciated and I think next year should start much earlier ie April / May - this will then stop the seeding of weeds - most weeds are or have seeded already so we are now getiing second generation weeds growing now?
This does not make sense to me
Thanks Andy - GRA -
P.S. I am talking about Green Lanes , The Gardens, The Ladder and Whiteman Road by the way

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Permalink Reply by Liz on June 14, 2011 at 17:23

Thanks again to everyone contributing. I am collating the responses under various headings and copies of the final document will be passed on to councillors and Veolia managers. I can also post a copy of that document on HOL for future reference.

I also have a section entitled 'Positive Feedback' so please feel free to make comments that note improvements and good work in the area too.

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Permalink Reply by Betty Careless on June 14, 2011 at 17:37

Echoing the thing lots of people have said about them leaving wheelie bins in the middle of the path.  Quite apart from the security risk, they're not the lightest thinks to manoveur (presumably why they dump them!), and for anyone elderly or with a disability its a bit of a nightmare.

 

Also leaving litter strewn across the garden after emptying the green recycling boxes - I appreciate that it would be a complete pain to sweep up after themseleves, but if the boxes are regularly full to overflowing, do we need to be issued with larger boxes?

 

And finally!! The corner of Chesterfield Gardens and Green Lanes, just by Chesterfield Mews is a regular dumping grounds, and there is often a giant orange industrial bin (no idea who it belongs to) blocking the pavement.

 

On the upside, when I have contacted them, they have been very sympathetic and polite on the phone

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