File:Almost there . . . (3214659707).jpg

Carew Road, Tottenham 3:53 pm, Tuesday 20 January 2009.

Suitcase full of rubbish dumped 36 metres (40 yards) from the entrance to the Reuse & Recycling Centre in Park View Road, Tottenham. (See note on the top photo.) _____________

On 20 January I got an angry phonecall from a resident. That morning he'd taken stuff to the Reuse & Recycling Centre. He complained: "there's dumping on every street."

After a brief photostroll I later reported sixteen items on pavements. These included: rubbish bags, boxes, suitcases, TVs, a fridge freezer, piles of old clothes; old doors; an empty <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/3218610298/in/photostream/">vegetable oil drum</a>; and a broken children's buggy. Walking round, I spoke to other residents who told me about even more dumped rubbish, cleared earlier the same day.

Which confirms my picture that Haringey - at least in the poorer eastern half - is running three waste collection systems.

Two are 'official' systems.

►Haringey Enterprise - the Council's contractors - come to our homes to empty our wheeled-bins and various recycling boxes. ►There are "bring sites" - like the two Reuse & Recycling Centres - where people can take all kinds of waste.

But there's also a third system which is unofficial - or perhaps 'semi-official'.

►Haringey Enterprise routinely go round removing all kinds of rubbish from our pavements and roadways; from flowerbeds and sometimes even our parks.

I call this Haringey's third <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/3152449184/">system</a>, because it's not just a sporadic and minor tidy-up. Day-after-day and year-after-year Haringey Council and Haringey Enterprise (its waste contractor) expect and plan to clean-up after large numbers of residents - like parents clearing-up the mess made by very small children.

Nor is this just a few thoughtless people; or selfish freeloaders; or even fly-tippers making money by fouling the environment.

To the dismay and disgust of the majority, a small but significant number of Haringey residents, local traders, and property owners see it as a proper and legitimate way to dispose of their waste. The result - daily on our streets - illustrates the Council's continuing and dismal failure to engage effectively with this minority.

Since April 2008 we were awaiting an Action Plan to tackle these and other waste management problems, from the senior managers of Haringey Urban Environment Department. I eventually saw this in February 2009. Sadly, it turned out not to be a 'Plan' at all, but lists of bullet points. ______________________________________

§ <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/3152449184/">Click here</a> to read more about the 'Third System'. § Another <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/sets/72157611789258728">photostroll</a> in December 2008.