Thanet District Council has had a successful partnership with Eco Green Communities since 2016. The project aimed to have a positive impact on the issue of dog fouling and generally clean up the public spaces in Thanet. They are renewing their contract and are looking for sponsors to support the renewed venture.
Eco Green Communities offer environmental dog stations and litter picking stations to councils. Thanet currently has 25 stations in operation at various locations.
Senior Supervisor of Waste and Recycling for Thanet District Council, Stephen Palmer commented, “We started to use and install Eco Green Communities’ stations due to the rise in dog fouling and also the rise in local volunteer litter picking groups. It was a good option meant we were able to offer another service to the public and help keep our towns and coastal areas dog fouling free.”
The environmental stations allow for those moments where owners may have forgotten or simply run out of bags. This means that not having a bag is no longer a valid excuse. The stations dispense 100% compostable bags encouraging behavioural change and reducing single-use plastic.
The 26 councils that Eco Green Communities works with have dispensed an impressive 6 million bags. Thanet has used 380,000 of those bags. The project benefits the whole community as it serves to educate and empower the individual to make the right choice. The power is put back in the hands of the community which in turn alleviates the pressure from the councils.
Stephen Palmer also stated “The stations have benefited the councils not only with the reduction in dog fouling, but it also brings co-operation between us as a council and the individual town councils and volunteer groups as they often take on the delivery of bags and refill the stations as and when needed.”
“Having more stations would always be of benefit to us as more stations mean more areas covered by the scheme which encourages people to act more responsibly whilst dog walking.”
Julie Cook, Director of Eco Green Communities, commented: “By erecting these stations councils are helping to reduce dog fouling which is a perennial problem for many local authorities. Numerous studies show that people are more likely to drop litter in areas where there are already high volumes of rubbish, including dog waste. Where litter levels are low, people are more likely to dispose of all types of waste responsibly. A survey of councils we are working with has shown that where the stations are installed there is an average decrease in dog fouling complaints of 49.4% and a 56.8% decrease in overall litter. This is an extremely positive result”
An important way to support the venture is through sponsorship. Eco Green Communities offers an exclusive cost-effective advertising opportunity positioned on the front of these popular and well–used eco stations. It is also a great way to boost your companies CSR (Corporate social responsibility) by directly having a positive impact on the community. If your company wants to support your local area and get involved, please contact Eco Green Communities with the information below.
