Bleadon Needs a Broom

Also see BOB's Environmental Table of articles and updates.

UPDATE BVN113 Autumn 2019 - Message from the BPC Chairman, "The council agreed to be 'plastic free' and 'frack free' - clearly, just saying it doesn't make it happen and so we will be working closely with everyone to make changes over time'

UPDATE JULY 2019: Bleadon Parish Council has added a 'litter' item to their July 2019 agenda (Min 324.11) "To Consider any legislation (new, amended, or potential) affecting the parish ... It has been suggested that the parish be declared ‘plastic free’ and 'frack free'." ..."AGREED". 

UPDATE DEC 2018: NB: BOB again made NSC and BPC aware of the verge and litter issues in Dec 2018, and was informed that "An order will be passed to the contractor to litter pick the verge at this location. The vegetation will be monitored until the summer". We are yet to receive a response as to when and how the verges, rhynes and associated safety issues will addressed.

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Bleadon Parish seems to be suffering from a litter epidemic, just look at the A370 and surrounding rhynes. Our community is not alone as Defra joins forces with Keep Britain Tidy to launch the ‘Keep it, Bin it’ campaign. 

• "Shocking images are at the centre of a new campaign unveiled today (30 November 2018) to crack down on littering in England ... supported by some of the biggest names in retail, travel and entertainment, the campaign features poignant images of wildlife eating and getting tangled in litter, contrasted against typical excuses for people give for dropping litter" 

DEFRA's Summary of Targets in their 25 year environment plan states,

• "We want to improve the UK’s air and water quality and protect our many threatened plants, trees and wildlife species. Our environment plan sets out our goals for improving the environment within a generation and leaving it in a better state than we found it. It details how we in government will work with communities and businesses to do this."

Environmentalist Mario Du Preez wrote this week in the Western Daily Press,

• "Plastic pollution has now spread to our guts ...This puts a different spin on the plastic pollution question. Now, we no longer ask questions about how plastic pollution affects our oceans, our wildlife and our skies, but how it affects our own health."

North Somerset advertises its South West in Bloom Award on the edge of Bleadon/Uphill on the polluted A370. How can the initial enthusiasm and community effort put into projects such as these be sustained to protect our environment after any award incentive? Let's hope the Bleadon in Bloom project by BPC (£2.4K resident precept Min 317.17), its Neighbourhood Plan (£2.5K resident precept + Grants F&P min 54.7), and its Parish Ranger can help tackle this problem for the whole parish not just the village!

How does BPC's Park/Play Area plans fit into this (£2.5K resident precept)? i.e. "Suggestions for Play Area included rubberised surfacing for the whole area (reducing costs from grass cutting and bark management) which would facilitate all uses" (Dec 18 F&P Min 54.7). How do BPC's projects and related decisions fit with their Environmental Policy, which is not currently published on their website? (Sept 18 Min 313.19)

The A370 is the key footpath from/to WSM, where nature and litter currently compete to cover this path again, which can only get worse with additional housing and traffic! NSC needs to make its contractors perform better and take some accountability (e.g. street sweeping, recycling, refuse, highway maintenance, etc.)

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SOME KEY UPDATES

Also see BOB's Environmental Table of articles and updates.

17 JUN 19: G20 Environment Ministers Agree to Tackle Marine Plastic Waste.  

22 MAY 19: England to Ban Sale of Plastic Straws, Stirrers and Cotton Buds by April 2020

29 MAR 19: EU Parliament Bans Plastics Responsible for 70% of Ocean Trash

18 FEB 19: UK Waste System ‘Overhaul’ Would Make Plastic Polluters Pay

13 JAN 19:  BOB NDP Survey blog asking residents to include "cleanup project to help rid our environment from litter and plastic" in their response

2018 - NSC Litter Picking Information