Having just returned from Hull – a city full of history and art and a European city of culture in 2017 – I couldn’t help but notice that it was also the cleanest city I have seen for a long while. Clean roads, clean pedestrian walkways and clean squares. It’s an example that could be followed in certain parts of Rye, especially where children roam before and after school, as well as the pathway up to Valley Park where the only dustbin was taken away. The green behind the leisure centre is often full of crisp bags and cans. Other areas around the school towards Tilling Green Avenue are often appallingly littered. What did of course help in Hull was that there were plenty of dustbins which we seem to be lacking.
A couple of years ago several Rye inhabitants persuaded a teacher to get the children from the Academy, then Rye College, to produce drawings of how they perceived the rubbish in town. The images were displayed in an empty shop and created some awareness. Unfortunately that teacher left and the impetus was lost. The solution in my mind is to make the school children responsible. Each week five different students could be chosen to go out with a black bag and picker to collect the rubbish left by their mates. They will soon teach each other to be more careful as none of them would want to be seen doing this.
How to enforce it? That’s the problem and probably a dream as schools do not have the time to organise it. Parents of course need to be involved and some might think it’s too humiliating for the children. Fair enough, so all it needs is for them to encourage their children to use dustbins, if available or take rubbish home.
PS Wednesday 23, I cycled along the above mentioned places to take a photo when I was too late. Whoever is responsible for the areas had a good clean up because the grass needed cutting, so presently it looks very nice and tidy. Please everyone keep it like this.
Photo: Rye News library
