We need more measures to keep Hastings free from litter

My partner and I are absolutely fed up with picking up and safely disposing of bottles, cans, plastic and paper that so many people are too selfish or ignorant to dispose of in the many bins provided in Hastings and St. Leonards.

I picked up an armful of chip wrappers near the Lifeboat House, recently, that people had allowed to blow away.

On a windy day it should be obvious that you have to hold on to things tightly.

If bins are full, TAKE YOUR RUBBISH HOME and put it in your own bin. If you have had a picnic, bottles, etc, will be lighter to carry back. So called ‘disposable’ barbecues often get left and, frankly, shouldn’t even be sold because they are a waste of resources.

Something that doesn’t help with the amount of rubbish lying around is the design of many of the bins. They have more than one opening and, when situated in windy sites (e.g. the seafront and the many places around the town where it gathers), anything light can easily be blown out the other side from where it enters.

We have seen bins in other towns that have a plastic or rubber flexible cover over the opening which stops rubbish blowing back out but which are easier to deal with than metal covers if someone has limited movement in their hands.

I appreciate that, having spent out on unnecessary bus lanes (instead of vital road repairs), there will not be the money currently available to replace old bins but feel these should be considered in the future because they may prevent some cleaning-up costs.

Education needs to be included in all schools regarding litter and the environment.