Sheffield student landlord launches Ecclesall Road litterpick to clean up relations over undergrad rubbish

A student homes company in Sheffield has launched its own litter pick to clean up relations between residents and undergrads.

Staff from Strawberry Student Homes are heading out with bin bags once a week to spruce up the streets around their office on Ecclesall Road.

Director Chris Ashton says he hopes to help mend perceptions of students being litterbugs and flytippers, while encouraging his own tenants to take responsibility for their waste.

It comes after The Star reported on the huge amounts of household rubbish left by young tenants at the end of the last academic year, which residents called "a disgrace".

Chris Ashton said: "We just basically want to try clear up Ecclesall Road as best as we can. We get a lot of residents blaming landlords for litter and rubbish, and we wanted to start litterpicking while hopefully getting other people to join."

Chris and wife Jemma say they too have to deal with rampant rubbish, and often have to properly bag up their tenants' waste at the end of terms themselves for the council to take away, who they say do a good job.

They also petition their renters with emails to bring their bins back in after collections, and urge them to think if bulky items or food waste can go to nearby charity shops and food banks.

But they also claim there are other issues they don’t have control over.

"It may sound hard to believe, but we do have issues with residents rummaging through student bins at the end of terms," said Gemma. "Students can throw away good items. It does happen.

"I was clearing out one of our houses once when a car pulled up. A driver tore open a bin bag and took things inside with them, then left the bag hanging open.

"Sadly, homeless people in the area can also do this."

But Chris does say there is no avoiding the rubbish issues that students can cause.

He said: "The end of term can be horrendous. The amount of food waste in particular can be bad. I understand why residents get frustrated, and that’s why we’re trying to do our own litter picks. We do care."

Two of Strawberry’s team - his son Josh and maintenance manager Mark Waite - were gone 15 minutes on the morning of January 26 to litterpick while The Star spoke to Chris. They returned with both bin bags already bulging and half full. Chris says they usually fill four bags in a morning.

Chris says the team is working with a local Good Neighbour Forum meeting and the Sheffield General Cemetery committee, and hopes to encourage others to join them on their weekly litter picks at 10am every Friday, starting at the office on Ecclesall Road.

Chris said: "I know landlords get a bad name for rubbish but we want to get as many people on board in this area as we can."