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The park is becoming a dump

fwiwfwiw
in Local discussion
I've just taken a stroll through Finsbury Park, and I'm appalled at how much litter there is. Cans, cups, bottles, plastic bags, endless gas canisters, balloons and discarded packaging, takeaway trays strewn around and left in little clusters under trees, clearly indicating some group's had their fun and just wandered off.

The area below the tennis courts towards Seven Sisters Road is particularly bad, yet people are still happily sitting there eating, drinking, sunbathing and so on surrounded by this mess, so I expect some of them will be contributing to it further.

If it's easy to carry this stuff into the park, surely it's just as easy to take it away? Or easier, use one of the many bins, none of which I saw was full? How hard can it be?

Sadly by ranting on here I doubt I'm speaking to those responsible, since anyone lacking sufficient self-awareness to clear up after themselves clearly does not give a shit about their local neighbourhood.

What's the solution?
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  • joustjoust N4
    All the bins were full and overflowing, yesterday. I had to leave my rubbish on the floor near the bins.

    But yeah, a lot of people don't seem to care.
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  • fwiwfwiw
    That sounds like part of the problem then! It doesn't matter how neatly you place things near a bin, foxes will investigate overnight and drag rubbish everywhere. Near the bin is still littering.

    Is it really too troublesome to carry rubbish back out of the park when the bins are full, most likely in the very same carrier bag used to bring it in?

    Many times I've seen empty bins just outside the park when the ones inside are full, so it's hardly asking a lot.
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  • joustjoust N4
    I carried my rubbish from the top end of the park to the blackstock road end. All the bins were overflowing. I was then getting the tube. I wasn't going to take two carrier bags of shite on the tube.
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  • ScruffyScruffy
    It's not just the Park; Stroud Green has become a scruffy shit hole. It seems that the scruffier and shittier it gets, the more likely ignorant people are to litter (and dump old appliances etc.)
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  • guinguin
    There are some street corners which seem to attract dumping
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  • joustjoust N4
    There is an app and a website where you can report dumping/tipping. Nothing seems to really happen though.
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  • AliAli
    I use the app and find dumped rubbish is removed in a couple of days. When it is sunny is not obvious to the Council that the park will be used more hence needs more bin emptying. There is plenty of notice. I'd weather forecast
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  • gardener-joegardener-joe
    edited June 2018
    [...]
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  • joustjoust N4
    Cool. I'm glad some people have had success with the app :)

    I'll keep trying.
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  • trainspottertrainspotter
    I agree, and I don't think it's fair to blame the Council for this one as they do clear up but after a sunny weekend there is rubbish EVERYWHERE. My kids know better than that. No excuse. Enforcement is probably the only answer, but if we can't enforce against muggings and drug dealing I don't know what hope we have against littering.
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  • frentzenfrentzen
    edited April 2018
    I totally agree with Scruffy above. I came back last night around 11pm from my weekend away and the scenario I was presented at the exit of Finsbury Park was beyond comprehension. Totally unacceptable. Cans EVERYWHERE, piles of train tickets receipts on the ground... not to mention the thrash along Stroud Green and under the bridge. Then once take a turn and pass that inferno you still have to wade your way through shit and glasses. What sort of ANIMALS do that? Honestly, I've been living in Stroud Green for nearly 5 years now and I always did my best for the community. I'm sorry to say that the area I once grew to love is getting more and more like a massive bin and an hangout for the dodgiest blokes. Shameful.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    Agree. It is dirtier, but the whole of London seems dirtier and more strewn with rubbish than it used to be years ago. I think it's partly because there are a lot more people here and partly because attitudes have changed. People throw rubbish on the floor even if there is a bin within sight, and are abusive and disbelieving if you challenge them. People leave chicken bones, half eaten takeaways etc. one trains and buses, seemingly without a trace of embarrassment or shame. It's a cultural shift, I don't know how you change it.
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  • randomusernamerandomusername
    Since spending a lot of time in Victoria Park I’ve noticed what a dump Finsbury Park is. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, the socioeconomic areas aren’t too different. However I feel like Finsbury is neglected way more by the counci - with a bit of an investment maybe people would be a bit more considerate about littering...but that’s a big maybe
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  • fwiwfwiw
    If someone decides to leave litter in the park, they've decided to leave litter in the park, regardless of what the council does. It's the "it's the council's job" or "let someone else pick it up" kind of attitude that perpetuates the mess. The problem is selfish people's attitudes, not the work of the council.

    I agree it would be nice to think a bit of investment would fix things, but I think that's unrealistic... The park has already been improved quite a bit over several years (fences, play areas, roads, paths, plants, cafe, ponds, tennis courts, basketball courts, you name it) but I can't see any of that deterring the average nitrous oxide moron from leaving their dead canisters everywhere.
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  • trainspottertrainspotter
    I happen to think the park is becoming neglected by the Council, which is in danger of undoing the benefits of investment over the past decade. The area by the station around the former jamboree playhuts that is just being left to rot being the prime example. I'm not convinced that's key to the littering problem though. To be fair Victoria Park (which is amazing, I agree) is massive, and not generally so busy (or as close to a zone 2 tube station). It might not present the same clear up challenges.
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  • ElizEliz
    The Friends of Finsbury Park have a survey on their website at the moment asking for feedback on safety in the park https://www.thefriendsoffinsburypark.org.uk/blog/

    I agree with @trainspotter, the park is starting to look really neglected. I had to leave the playground near the New River entrance the other day because there was so much broken glass around it wasn't safe for kids to play.
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  • gardener-joegardener-joe
    edited June 2018
    [...]
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  • HolbornFoxHolbornFox
    Well they've not turned away from profiteering from the park, there's more concerts then ever this year.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    Perhaps @RajSahota could fill us in?
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  • AliAli
    I believe he is not standing at the election next week.

    Park looked pretty good when I cycled through it at about 5 pm although I did see a couple of guys comming out of some bushes adjusting their belts. I thought that sort of thing didn't go on there any more.
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  • ArkadyArkady
    That's a good point - has everyone received their voting cards? We haven't had ours here yet.
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  • joustjoust N4
    Ours came on Monday, I think
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  • joustjoust N4
    Although you don't need them to vote.
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  • trainspottertrainspotter
    To be fair the park is still lovely. I walked through and the mix of trees at the moment is stunning (and actually there wasn't too much rubbish about early in the week) and I do like the fact that it's well-used for a variety of activities. That's why it's such a shame if it gets neglected. As a parent of young children I am slightly surprised they are investing in replacing the playground equipment, which is still perfectly serviceable, rather than other areas of neglect eg the toilets, the out-of-bounds areas and lighting/fencing.
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  • frentzenfrentzen
    So basically you're saying that APART for the rubbish (which is still there, there's no such thing as "too much rubbish") and the neglected toilets, the out-of-bounds area and lighting/fencing the park is alright.
    Sorry for being a bit straight-forward here, but I think someone's level of tolerance is shocking. Sometimes you need to state facts and these are: even though improvements were made there are unacceptable situations that are before everyone's eyes. It's a park, not a gigantic bin.
    I don't want to have to make my way through people's shit. I want to feel safe. I don't want my money (like I saw in a survey on thefriendsoffinsburypark) to be squandered on redesigning bins so to make it hard to conceal weapons or drugs in them. What sort of solution is that??? It's like curing cancer with paracetamol.

    The arrogance of some people is blatant: look at the entrances. I walked through the one next to the Lidl yesterday and there were tens of plastic bottles and dead canister on the ground. And the USUAL kids loitering around (again, I wonder what they were doing eh).
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  • trainspottertrainspotter
    I have agreed upthread that it's being neglected. What I meant was that this is a crying shame as it's lovely and we should fight for it. I am not convinced Friends of Finsbury Park have their priorities right - I can put up with the occasional event if the park is looked after properly in between.
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  • trainspottertrainspotter
    And I agree about the rubbish too. But I also think the Council have done a reasonable clear up job considering that state it was in and shouldn't be blamed for that part of the park neglect - Really, regular large-scale clear-ups shouldn't be needed.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    I'm for snipers in the trees, taking out people who leave their rubbish in the park. I would happily hand over a bit of cash to pay for that.
    Failing that I have a pal who trains birds of prey. I reckon she could train one of them to scalp litterers, or fly off with their children or something.
    Really, zero tolerance is the way forward.
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  • ScruffyScruffy
    I think that’s a tad harsh, Miss Annie. Remember, tolerance is a great British virtue. I’m in favour of having park keepers armed with tasers to stun these cretins. Coming round from being stunned and having shat themselves, they’d probably think twice about littering again. Zero tolerance is taking it a bit far, though: they’d have to use a slightly lower voltage on pensioners and the under-twelves. (A great British virtue too precious to be wasted on these utter c…)
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  • therattletherattle
    A good start would be more and bigger bins. I'd also like to see a blitz on littering: park wardens (or whomever is authorised to issue spot fines) backed up by police to provide security should go to the park on weekends and tell people to pick up rubbish and get a talking to. If they don't pick their crap up they get fined. Or maybe they just get fined immediately.
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