Alcester residents fill skips with garden and household rubbish
21/07/2008
The social landlord, which specialises in providing homes in rural locations for people with a local connection to the area, arranged for four containers to be placed in Crooks Lane Estate, Alcester, on 20th June.
The first arrived at around 8am and was filled to the brim within two hours. A second was sent for to take the overflowing items but it too was quickly filled and a third and fourth were ordered as a result.
Unwanted furniture, garden rubbish, broken toys and household items were among the possessions put in the skips, which were removed and emptied at no cost to tenants.
Patricia O’Brien, of Beacon Road, was one of many on the estate to de-clutter their rooms, lofts and garden sheds. The grandmother, who has lived in the area for around six years, said the skips were much appreciated.
“It was great, a really good idea. I went through everything the night before and as soon as the first skip arrived I was outside getting rid of all sorts, from a sofa to wood and garden furniture.
“I’ve never known or heard of a housing association doing anything like this before”, added Miss O’Brien, aged 51.
Ed Massey, Housing Services Manager, said: “Philippa Osborne, our Housing Officer, has worked closely with residents to identify their concerns over the appearance of the estate and the idea for a tidy-up came about as a result of this consultation.
“Overall the day was a great success, so much so that we had to order an additional three skips to accommodate the amount of items residents wanted to dispose of.
“At the end of the day the appearance of the estate was much improved and our residents can now take greater pride in the area in which they live."