Eastbourne resident is ‘embarrassed’ by rubbish build up in the town

As lockdown eased and the summer months returned, people from across the country came to visit the Sussex coast – bringing an increase in waste with them.

Michael Browne, who lives in Royal Parade, said he felt ‘embarrassed’ after seeing a row of overflowing bins in Trinity Trees by the town centre.

He said, “The bins are overflowing. The seagulls are pulling at them.

“We cannot have rubbish blowing around our town.

“I am not the only person who feels this way.”

Mr Browne also fears how the bins would look to someone who recently moved to the town.

He said, “It is a lovely town. I love living here.

“I know people who are moving into the town. What do they think when they go into the town?”

A number of residents have been in touch with the Herald to raise concerns about rubbish in the town and have discussed how it might impact Eastbourne’s tourism.

Mr Browne said, “I cannot imagine what they think.

“If that was me touring England, I just wouldn’t come back if I saw that.”

Mr Browne, who is a semi-retired window cleaner, called on the council to ‘spend more money’ in order to fix the problem.

The Royal Parade resident, who moved to Eastbourne in 1980, said, “The town is so much busier.

“They don’t seem to have increased the number of collections. They don’t seem to pick up any more often.”

Mr Browne added, “I think some of that extra money that has been collected in taxes needs to be spent.”

Eastbourne Borough Council’s Environment First Team installed temporary bins along the promenade this week in a bid to manage the extra waste during the summer.

In response to the picture in Trinity Trees, a spokesperson from the council said, “We have added this road to our weekly household waste collections in the town centre to ensure it remains a clean and tidy environment, with collections scheduled every Wednesday.

“We would ask people to please make sure they are recycling as much as possible to cut down on the waste being put in their household black bin.

“Additionally, Environment First has installed temporary bins along the promenade to tackle extra waste that occurs during the summer, given the increased number of people staying local this year.

“We are continually reviewing the frequency of our litter bin collections depending on need and will continue to monitor this for Princes Park.

“We would like to remind people that bins on the seafront or in parks are for litter only and should never be used for household waste disposal.”