STV NewsFlytipping is nothing new in Glasgow, but a Southside neighbourhood says it’s experiencing it at a scale never seen before.
Now, one man has taken it upon himself to clean up a river next to Silverburn shopping centre.
Among other household items, Kieran McGregor and his group of volunteers have recovered almost 200 shopping trolleys.
The problem is so bad that Keiran has set himself a 100-day challenge to clean up the Brockburn River.
Along with a team of volunteers, the work has not only benefited local wildlife but has also inspired the community to rally together.
STV NewsHe told STV News: “I’m really community-oriented, I love where I came from. When I was walking across the bridge one day, I saw four trolleys. I felt gutted in a sense because I love seeing nice rivers.
“I decided I was going to go in to get them out. The next day, I went on a 100-day clean-up challenge in the community, and it’s blossomed into this.
“Right now we’re sitting at about 180 trolleys, and around 120 were from M&S. I’ve noticed there are no preventative measures for the trolleys leaving the stores.”
STV NewsKeiran and his team are now nearing day 50 of their challenge, and, in addition to dozens of trolleys, they are discovering items that have lain untouched for decades.
“We’ve come across knives, beds, clothes, PlayStations, cookers – people are dumping their whole household in here. I think we’re uncovering rubbish from 50 to 60 years ago”, Keiran explained.
“I believe it’s down to years of neglect, people not caring, people not being proud of the area – maybe seeing a change will make people take pride in the community and stop the problem.
“This is day 42 of 100. We head out about 10am and work until we’re exhausted.
“We’re working with organisations in the area. One of the biggest supporters has been Greater Pollok Services. We will drag all the rubbish out, and they’ll take it to a location, and the council will be contacted to collect it all.
“The council have been supportive with this, there’s not been one bit of resistance. They’ve been great.
“The community needs to come together to solve the issue. I think we’ve been a bit isolated, but something like this is sparking a bit of togetherness.
STV News“People are excited for the future and want to see wildlife coming back to the area.”
Councillor Roza Salih, SNP, said the local authority is committed to working with the community and retailers to tackle the issue.
She said: “I think there’s a behaviour problem first, that trolleys are being dumped, and fly tipping in our rivers. That needs to change.
“We have to work in partnership with the retailers, the council, the volunteers and the community. The council is committed to working with the community, and we have tried to uplift the flytipping, but the retailers have the responsibility for their own trolleys, and they have to take that responsibility on.
“And that’s why it’s so important that we work in partnership. This is not a new issue. It’s been an ongoing issue for over 40 years, and it’s not just in Pollok. It’s it’s an all over the city. It’s in Scotland.
“We also need to make sure we bring best practice to the area, to Glasgow, to make sure we tackle this issue once and for all.
STV News“I really appreciate the community working with the council to make sure we uplift the flytipping.”
A spokesperson for M&S added: “We share local residents’ concerns about abandoned shopping trolleys and have recently met with local stakeholders to discuss practical ways to address the issue.
“Since 2021, we have partnered with Trolleywise to recover and return reported trolleys, while our store teams also carry out regular inspections of the surrounding area.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to address the issue, we have arranged for Trolleywise to increase collections in the area and are exploring additional measures to help prevent trolleys from being taken beyond the immediate vicinity of the store.
“We will continue to work with local stakeholders, the community and other retailers to identify further solutions where possible.”
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