Refuse & Roadside Trees

Refuse collections: some comments 

An important aspect of life on the estate has been the weekly collections of domestic waste. In the old days, each residence had a metal dustbin which was usually kept at the rear or side of the house in easy reach from the back door. The old dustbins were heavy and were carried on the shoulder by the corporation dustbin men. The bins were often dirty and smelly. All sorts of waste were put into them – fire ash, waste food, general domestic waste, garden waste, bottles etc. After being emptied into the dustcart, the bins would be returned to their original place. From time to time the dustcart would be raised vertically so that the waste could shift down to the front end behind the driver – this was always exciting to watch, especially for children.

Nowadays, with environmental concerns very much to the fore, recycling and reusing are in operation and households now have four differently-coloured bins into which waste should be deposited. The blue bin is for paper and cardboard; brown is for glass and plastic bottles, glass jars and cans; green is for garden waste and food waste – the latter first being bagged; and grey is for general domestic waste which can also be bagged. Collections are every Thursday and there is a rota regarding which bins are collected. Householders are asked to put their bins out onto the pavement in front of their property before 6.30am on the day of collection with handles facing the road. This has been made easy by the fact that all bins now have two small wheels – hence the term ‘wheelie bin’. In some areas on the estate, it is the custom and practice that a few neighbours quickly remove the emptied bins from the pavements and return them to their place of origin. At the same time, any litter or debris dropped or spilt in the process of emptying the bins may be picked up and disposed of – all of which adds to the general tidiness and pleasant appearance of the area. For their part, the bin workers always appear cheerful and display a friendly countenance as they go about their important work efficiently and quietly. Watching the driver reversing down a narrow road between parked cars is still an interesting pastime for some residents. As for keeping the bins clean, some people pay for this service to be done whilst others clean and disinfect them themselves.

The dustcart is eventually driven to the Longley Lane Recycling Centre at Longley Lane, Sharston – colloquially referred to as “the tip” – but it is an extremely modern complex which also caters for waste disposed of by motorists and ‘the trade’.

Roadside trees: some comments

There are only three roads on the estate that have trees planted alongside them.  The first – Dene Road – has trees on the pavement on both sides, some of them quite mature. The second – Ford Lane – has trees that have been planted in the grass verge. On both roads there is a mixture of mature and young trees and of different types of trees. In addition, the six houses on Victoria Avenue, near Spath Road, have a couple of trees on their pavement.

Whilst recognising the aesthetic beauty and environmental value of trees, there is a view that their drawbacks outweigh their benefits on this estate.  Trees narrow the pavement; cause damage to the pavement and so endanger pedestrians; damage underground pipes, drains and cables; cause unsightly uplifting of the ground and protrusion of roots; damage garden walls, fences and gate posts; block out light and darken front rooms; their low, uncut branches can affect both pedestrians and traffic; they pose a serious risk of falling branches when windy, and in some instances whole trees have been blown over. In addition, in autumn their falling leaves contribute to the clogging up of grids, drains, gutters and drainpipes and it takes months for the council workers to finally remove the last of them. (Although it is recognised that many leaves are blown from trees elsewhere.) 

One of the delights of living on this estate is that one is only a couple of minutes’ walk away from trees, copses, woods, open fields and meadows. Some of the finest trees in the area can be seen in nearby Simon Field, Fletcher Moss Park, Didsbury Park, Parsonage Gardens, Marie Louise Gardens and Stenner Woods, where they can grow freely in their natural setting and without interference or restriction. The full range of types of trees, leaves and changing colours can be enjoyed throughout the year as can the sights and sounds of the many species of birds that inhabit and frequent them. This area has conservation havens that are a delight to walk through and which give much pleasure to so many. There are also thousands of trees to be found on the nearby Didsbury and Withington golf courses.

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