Bangor student litter blitz declared “a success”

Jun 30 2010 by Daniel Bissett, Bangor and Anglesey Mail

BANGOR Pride has declared its biggest ever assault on end-of-term student litter a success, following the release of official statistics for the inaugural Get It Out For Bangor campaign.

The campaign’s aim – to prevent the annual problem of rubbish spilling out onto streets – was mounted by a partnership which included Bangor University, Bangor Students’ Union, Gwynedd Council and Fly-Tipping Action Wales.

Council figures show that over 17 tonnes of rubbish was collected from student areas of the city over the two weeks of the campaign.

A three-month awareness campaign was mounted on campus to encourage students to observe specially designated extra waste collection days in May and June when clearing out their properties.

Led by Students’ Union president John Jackson and deputy president Spencer George, SU sabbatical officers starred on posters, flyers and online dressed as martial arts heroes in this year’s campaign theme of Give Rubbish the Chop or Sbydwch y Sbwriel.

To help spread the word, Gwynedd Council’s Tidy Towns officer, street enforcement wardens and Police Community Support Officers joined the university and SU team on the environmental campaign trail.

Cllr June Marshall was one of the first to comment on the campaign results: “I am very pleased to say that the Upper Bangor Society was extremely happy with the work carried out.

“The rubbish collection was far better this year than in previous years. The council collection vehicle regularly took away many full black bags which may otherwise have been left on the street for seagulls to open and scatter.

“Let’s hope this initiative continues each year from now on.”

Cllr Dewi Llewelyn added: “It’s certainly the cleanest I’ve ever seen Bangor at the end of an academic year.”

Mr Jackson said he was very proud of the hard work that all in the SU and university have put in to make Get It Out For Bangor a success and he hoped this initiative will continue to grow in future.

Peter Simpson, streetscene manager at Gwynedd Council, said: “Overall, the students’ end of term campaign was very successful, bearing in mind that it is the first time such an ambitious project has been attempted in Bangor.”

Gwenan Hine, assistant registrar at Bangor University, said: “It is crucial that we do not simply rest on our laurels as we must maintain the momentum of this success by doing all we can to establish Get It Out For Bangor as a key part of university life.“

Cllr John Wynn Jones, chair of Bangor Pride, said: “On behalf of Balchder Bangor I can only compliment all that have been involved and it again demonstrates that if we all pull together the outcome is much better making everybody's life in Bangor a lot more pleasant.”

daniel.bissett