NEWS COMMENT: If we want clean streets we need to recycle

But it looks as though Portsmouth City Council’s trial of seagull-proof refuse sacks in Fratton has actually ended up causing even more mess.

Every household has been given three bags each and any more that are put out will not be picked up by refuse collectors.

That’s led to smelly rubbish littering the streets of Fratton which some have now likened to a large tip.

But is it the council’s fault?

You could argue that three bags of rubbish a week should be enough for most households.

The huge push towards getting people recycling their rubbish a decade ago did see results across Portsmouth and Hampshire, but there is more to do. However, Portsmouth has lagged behind the national average for a while and levels have dropped off nationwide in the past year.

People need to be sensible. Surely if they sorted through their rubbish more carefully they could reduce the amount they put into the bags and increase the amount that goes into the green recycling bin?

And the council needs to be flexible too.

There will be households that need more bags because no end of recycling will squeeze all the detritus of everyday family life into three.

But both sides need to work together to make this trial a success.

No one likes to walk down streets covered in soggy old tea bags, sloppy bits of Monday night’s dinner, and, let’s face it, much worse.

This is where people really need to get to grips with recycling.

Perhaps it’s time the council re-educated everyone on what they can and can’t put in their green bin? And perhaps more residents need to be aware of the anti-social result of letting their rubbish litter their street...