ST HELENS has its own climate emergency.


We have all seen recently the pictures from Australia and the life threatening bush fires that have taken lives and destroyed whole communities.


Like most, my heart goes out to the people there whose lives have been turned upside down by fires caused by unprecedented fires and weather conditions.

We are lucky that in St Helens we have never experienced such disasters and touch wood we never will. 


However, walking around the town recently it has hit home that St Helens is on the verge of its own climate crisis. 


The amount of rubbish that litters the streets, the parks, local nature spots, the town centre, retail parks and people’s own gardens and neighbourhoods really is getting out of hand.


Now, you may think that this is small in comparison to what is happening in other parts of the world, however, the impact that rubbish has on our own lives and that of nature should never be underestimated. Rubbish has an impact upon our mental health, well being and general mood.


It shows, especially in St Helens, that there are a large number of people and businesses in the town that do not care one bit about the town or where they live. You only have to walk down Watson Street for example to see the mess that is strewn alongside the pathways around the Shires and in fenced off parts of land.


Recent posts by St Helens Litter Heroes on social media have shown bags and bags of rubbish and household waste collected in parts of the town where people live and children play with their friends.

It really is frightening to see just how much is collected in such a short space of time.


 Nature is also impacted by rubbish that ends up in natural areas such as Carr Mill Dam.

The amount of rubbish around the dam is unacceptable. A recent social media post showing a picture of a duck on the water with plastic stuck around its neck is just one example of the damage rubbish is doing to nature within the town.


Now, we can all sit there and blame the council for cutting back on bin men and litter pickers. However, the council are not responsible for people littering and some businesses leaving fast food wrappings, beer cans, household waste, clothes, unwanted toys, drug paraphernalia, glass bottles on the streets of the town simply because they cannot be bothered or seem interested in taking their rubbish home or in a business’s case ensuring their rubbish is disposed off adequately and tidying up their premises.

We all have a collective responsibility to ensure that rubbish is disposed of correctly and it isn’t difficult to pick rubbish up where you live and put it in a bin. The whole ‘it isn’t mine why should I do it attitude?’ doesn’t sit well in a town that collectively needs to take some responsibility for its environment.

It’s time for people, local businesses and the council to set an example and show that as part of this world we do care about the place and that we understand the wider impact that our rubbish habits are having.


Concerned resident