COMMONFILTH GAMES
Rogue landlords and businesses in race for 'gold' as rubbish and rats blight city streets
By Gary Fanning
As The King and Queen officially opened the Commonwealth Games on Thursday night, campaigners claimed another competition was already under way on Glasgow’s streets – the “CommonFILTH Games”.
Instead of athletes chasing gold medals, residents say rogue landlords and irresponsible businesses are battling for “gold medals” in illegal fly-tipping, leaving neighbourhoods buried under mountains of rubbish and plagued by rats while the world’s eyes are on the city.
Chris Mitchell, of the GMB Union Scotland told The Splash: “We’re not calling it the Commonwealth Games. We’re calling it the Commonwealth Filth Games. The race for the gold medal is for the landlords and the commercial contractors. And the relay race is to see who puts their rubbish out the fastest.
Mitchell said Glasgow’s biggest VIP vistors would never be shown the reality faciing some communities.
He added: “We had Andy Burnham in Glasgow for the opening ceremony. We’ve got The King and Queen here too. But they won’t bring them here, of course they won’t. They’ll take them to the good bits. Communities like this will be abandoned while the cameras are elsewhere. That is unacceptable.”
He warned visitors would never be shown streets blighted by overflowing bin hubs, illegal dumping and rats, saying Glasgow risked presenting a polished image of the city while neighbourhoods like Woodlands were left battle an enviornmental crisis.
Campaigners say the real race for gold isn't taking place in Glasgow's sporting arenas — it's happening on city streets, where fly-tippers compete to dump rubbish before anyone catches them.
Residents joined GMB union members at a protest in Queen’s Crescent/West Princes Street, Woodlands, demanding urgent action over what they describe as an epidemic of illegal dumping, overflowing bin hubs and a growing rat infestation.
Mitchell said council cleansing crews are now being forced to return to the same streets day after day because of relentless fly-tipping.
He said: “This is a nice area and we want people to visit, live here and invest in the area. But we can’t have this fly-tipping.
“Our members are coming out here every single day. They are being taken away from their allocated duties, meaning other communities across the west end and beyond are not getting the service they deserve because this has become a priority every day.
“That’s because landlords and commercial contractors are abusing the system and using these streets as a dumping ground. Fly-tipping it out of control.
“These bins are for general household waste only. They are not for washing machines, tumble dryers, plasterboard, electrical goods or building waste. But that’s exactly what we’re finding.”
Mitchell warned discarded electrial goods containing lithium batteries is putting refuse workers’ lives at risk.
Mitchell warned: “My members don't know what's inside these bins when the lorries crush the waste.
“We’ve already had fires in this very street because of lithium batteries.”
Mitchell vowed that enforcement officers and environmental health teams will launch a crackdown on fly-tippers, promising offenders will be tracked down and hit with fines.
He said the message to offenders was simple: pay to dispose of your waste legally or face the consequences.
He added: “We need to start fining people. Enforcement officers need to be visible. Environmental health needs to be visible.
“If businesses are caught fly-tipping they can face fines of up to £5,000. The waste laws are clear. If you run a business, you must have a commercial waste contract. Too many don’t want to pay, so they dump their rubbish during the night. It is completely unacceptable.”
He insisted Glasgow already offers businesses an affordable commercial waste collection service, adding: “The council provides a commercial waste contract. It’s affordable and it’s a top-class service. Use it.”
Marion Robertson, chair of the Woodlands and Garnethill Residents’ Group, told The Splash locals have reached breaking point.
She said: “People are scunnered and sick to their back teeth.
“There are wonderful people living in this area. But neglect by the council, some landlords and a significant minority of residents has overwhelmed the community.
“The council needs to get on top of this. We need enforcement, cameras, patrols, fines and education because residents can’t do it all themselves.”
Woodlands has battled fly-tipping for years, with residents blaming repeated clear-outs that leave unwanted furniture and household goods dumped in the streets.
Campaigners say the problem has escalated, with vehicles from outside the area regularly filmed unloading commercial, DIY and retail waste beside residential communal bins.
Food waste left lying around has also fuelled what residents describe as an out-of-control rat infestation.
One resident, whose home overlooks the Queen’s Crescent Taylor bins, said the neighbourhood had become impossible to ignore.
The resident said: “We love this community but people can no longer feel proud of it because of chronic council inaction and the reckless, illegal behaviour of a significant minority.
“People can’t leave their windows open because the rats will jump into their homes.
“This has to end now.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of issues in this area of Woodlands and we continue to monitor the situation closely.
“Fly-tipping incidents are being investigated and wherever we find evidence that identifies the culprits, we will take enforcement action.
“We are also visiting local businesses to ensure they have suitable waste management contracts in place.
“If anyone in the local area has information that will support enforcement action, they should contact our public health team.
“Domestic bins were placed to the front of properties at these locations due to safety concerns for staff over access routes to traditional back court bin areas.
“Everyone has a basic duty to ensure their waste is disposed of appropriately and play their part in maintaining the city’s environment.”
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