Craigmillar and Niddrie’s litter response is sheer poetry - Donald Anderson
There is something particularly powerful when a message about a community comes from someone who lives there and loves it.
That’s why I really enjoyed a poem shared this week by Craigmillar and Niddrie Litter Busters. Written by local resident Bobby McEwan, The Importance of Litter Picking is straightforward, heartfelt, and very much to the point.
Bobby asks why, when we carefully separate rubbish into different bins at home, some people think it is acceptable to throw it onto our streets.
He talks about the consequences for wildlife, the dangers discarded rubbish can pose to children and the particular risks created by fly-tipping.
But what comes through most strongly is something bigger: pride in where you live.
The poem was shared on the Litter Busters’ Facebook page and applauded by Miranda Baird, founder of Craigmillar and Niddrie Litter Busters and someone who has done amazing work to improve the local environment.
The group has tackled litter and fly-tipping hotspots across the area and demonstrated what determined community action can achieve. That matters in Craigmillar.
Enormous progress has been made regenerating the area, but regeneration isn’t just about building new houses.
It is also about creating streets and public spaces that people value and take pride in. Bobby’s poem captures that perfectly.
Keeping Craigmillar clean shouldn’t simply be somebody else’s job. It is something all of us can contribute to.
So well done Bobby — a great poem and serious message. You can check it out on the Litter Busters Facebook page.