Anger over rubbish left in Bangor streets as the students pack up

Jun 17 2009

THE problem of rubbish being left in the street has again been highlighted in Bangor as students prepare to leave the city at the end of the academic year.

The problem has been a common complaint among the residents of the city for some time now but it appears that little has improved in recent months with Hirael and Upper Bangor particularly affected.

Students are often blamed for leaving piles of rubbish in streets outside the properties they’ve been living in, although local residents and the narrow layout of some streets are also possible causes.

Resident Wendy Mayer, who lives in The Crescent in Upper Bangor, said: "Rubbish is just left in the street and, unfortunately, it’s like this every year.

"Apart from the fact it’s a real mess, there’s a horrible stench, and then it attracts seagulls and rats, which just add to the problems and it’s a real health hazard.

"I’ve been in touch with Steffan Jones, from Gwynedd Council, and the accommodation department at the university and it’s something that people really need to take responsibility for.

"Maybe they could send small hit squads round to take rubbish away on a regular basis during this time of the year, but something needs to be done because it can’t go on like this."

Most of the rubbish had been cleared away by the end of last week, but over the weekend, around 15 open black bin bags were left on Vron Square.

Cllr June Marshall said she believed it would be wrong to blame the students entirely for the rubbish problem.

"It’s an ongoing issue and we’ve been in touch from the officers from Gwynedd Council, but we’re not sure what the answer is to be honest.

"The problem isn’t entirely down to students because there are a lot of narrow streets with small houses and if there are four people to a house, you’re going to have build up of rubbish, whether they’re students or not.

"We’ve just got to keep working with the university and landlords to try to find a solution.

"The fact there is only one collection every two weeks doesn’t help and as much as I hate to say it, we do have a problem with rats in Upper Bangor.

"But we have to believe that we will come up with a solution long-term."

Steffan Jones, Gwynedd Council’s senior waste manager said: "We are working closely with Bangor University as well as local landlords to find answers to these issues."