No-one has suggested that the Council should do that. But if they don’t organize an official tree collection, they will inevitably end up taking many trees from curbside and pavements over the next few weeks. They do enable the lawless by picking up after them.
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That is truly awful. Have people no respect for the road they live in, without blocking the roadway, what is the matter with these people. If whoever is responsible could be found, thru should be fined!
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I agree on the official route 100%, just not happy that the council has to divert scarce resources because some people are lazy and can’t take their trees to an official site
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But how can you be so sure that the problem is laziness? Couldn’t there be other reasons? Maybe some people are overworked and underpaid, struggling to
give their kids a nice Christmas, sort their household waste into the four bins that spoil their small front garden. Maybe it feels like too much to drag a tree half a mile through the streets when everyone knows that most Councils do organize a Christmas tree collection. So leaving the tree in an ‘unauthorized’ spot could be a protest.
It could be bloody-minded antisocial behaviour disregarding the ‘community’ and any rules that help us to live in harmony. And there could be many more reasons, but I doubt laziness is the culprit. It isn’t ‘lazy’ to buy a tree, get it home and decorate it.
That’s the point that John made.
Regardless of how “overworked and underpaid” people feel they are, if they’re able to go and buy a tree and transport it to their home, they ought to be able to dispose of it responsibly.
…in a way that doesn’t endanger life (by blocking emergency routes) and doesn’t cost other taxpayers money (paying council workers to traipse around every street that might have a dumped tree)
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Buying a tree and decorating it costs money. Disposing of it costs time.
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I think a lot of you are confusing distances. It is 100m to the nearest selling place in forest Hill Station, but I think it is 1kn to drop it off. Most peeps can carry a small wrapped tree that far, but not an unwrapped tree for 20mins.
Lewisham refuse collection is awful and barely collects rubbish twice a month, so quite happy the fault at least partly less with them
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…from where exactly? Now I am confused.
Maybe not everyone has that time to spare. If you are a single parent with full-time job, choosing between an hour reading with your kids or dragging a tree through the streets, what is the best use of your time?
The spread of the post-Christmas unwrapped tree makes it physically much more awkward to transport than the wrapped tree you originally purchased. Difficult enough to get it out of the house, if your doorways and hall are narrow.
Agreed, but equally no excuse whatsoever for them to just dump it out of sight from where they live and think that’s ok. That‘s selfish as well as lazy.
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I think it really is a false economy for the Council not to collect the trees along with standard household waste collection. Dragging a tree half a mile up and down hills is not only a big task for many but leaves a trail of debris that our poor overworked street cleaners have to deal with.
Law abiding, socailly responsible people who don’t drop litter or spit chewing gum and other noxious substances all over our pavements already have to pay for others mess to be cleared up anyway. So why not just pick up the trees with household refuse collection and save a whole lot of unpleasantness?
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They could of course buy an artificial tree. Have it for years & no problem about disposing! They are supposed to be more environmentally friendly as well.
Ah well, I read somewhere that they are good, but I suppose there are downsides to most things.