Virus, pandemic, and health. Three words, which dominated our Google searches in 2020.
Did you know that local councils exist because of the cholera epidemic of 1848? Just like today, back then the local authority (LA) became responsible for the maintenance of sanitation in their area. Nowadays, we take rubbish collections, sewers and clean water supply for granted, but back in the 1840s public hygiene was still in nappies (pun intended).
Thankfully, we are not concerned with waste management anymore, but that does not make LA's job any easier in 2020.
Closed public spaces, inability to go for a pint after work and maybe even unusually sunny weather probes many to escape to parks to help switch off our brain. The public flocking to parks might initially sound positive until you realise how many of them are dog owners who always forget to bring poo bags and how many leave a horrifying amount of litter behind. Once the sun goes down and the crowd disperses, you are left with piles of beer cans and takeaway boxes, topped with dog fouling. This not only looks off-putting and undermines the park's usual quality standard, but any piece of that litter can be contagious. Sounds scary? We thought so.
Eco Green Communities aim to be a figurative vaccine for the litter pandemic in green public spaces. There are five reasons why we think your local council needs our solution both for dog waste and rubbish.
- Cleaning up public spaces.
This one is pretty clear. We believe you don't deserve to helplessly stare at an otherwise lovely park, the appeal becoming dull under the weight of improperly discarded litter. The litter stations contain free, recycled bags, which encourage the owners of the mess to clean up after themselves. Dog waste stations dispense free, 100% compostable bags and wipe out the excuse: ”I don't have a bag on me“.
2. Ad space
Does your council run an outdoor fitness group? Whether it is yoga in a park or a local running community, stations are placed strategically in the parks, so you are extremely likely to reach your target group.
3. Important messaging
We all know smoking kills and a walk a day keeps the doctor away. What if your GP could place this message on the station and make sure all passer-bys are committing to a daily walk without a cig? Sounds good to us.
4. Community spirit
Eco Green Communities pay extra attention to all volunteers, who use their free time to clean their surroundings. While these groups are usually well connected on social media platforms, extra exposure on EGC stations would enable them to reach those, who live offline lives. Alternatively, communities can get the best of both worlds by placing a QR code with a link to their litter picking group, so anyone that is interested can join. Supporting those who care about the environment by giving them more exposure is the least we can do.
5. Less single-use plastic waste.
Last but not least, one of our primary goals is to reduce the amount of plastic waste. Using compostable dog waste bags might sound like a small step, but imagine every council adopting Eco Green Communities stations’ scheme. There are 25 county councils, 188 district councils, and 191 unitary councils. Let's just say that unity makes strength and strength is in numbers.