‘Any rubbish bin will do’ message on dog fouling as campaign returns
‘Bag that poo, any rubbish bin will do’ is the new message being promoted by a campaign to rid our streets and open spaces of dog fouling.
Daventry District Council’s (DDC) Paint Means Poo scheme sees volunteers visiting dog fouling hotspots in their areas, spraying any fouling they find with brightly coloured paint, and recording the results.
Held for the first time last September, it proved a success, with volunteers from the 28 areas that took part registering a 54% drop in dog fouling.
Feedback from the campaign also highlighted the fact that many dog owners are unaware they can dispose of dog fouling in normal litter bins – not just the dedicated dog waste bins.
As a result, new signage produced for the return of the campaign this autumn is reminding people that dog mess can be bagged and put in any general litter bin.
A total of 34 areas are taking part this time and, as before, the volunteers have been provided with cans of spray paint by DDC, together with a toolkit including a series of awareness posters and leaflets. They began spraying this week and will continue patrolling the same spots each week for the next six.
The campaign once again has the support of the Canal & River Trust, who will be spreading the message to boaters and other canal users too.
Daventry’s Pets at Home store is also backing the scheme with the return of their free poo bag giveaway, which offers a free 15-bag roll to the first 50 people who call in quoting the Paint Means Poo campaign.
The campaign also has the support of Daventry Town Council and Brixworth Country Park.
Councillor Mike Warren, Health and Housing Portfolio Holder at Daventry District Council said: “The aim of the Paint Means Poo campaign is to enable communities to highlight the extent of the dog fouling problem in a particular area and to embarrass irresponsible dog owners into picking up after their pet.
“The results of last year’s campaign were very encouraging and I’m pleased that so many parish councils and community groups are taking part again this year. We’re also grateful for the support of our other partners, including Pets at Home, the Canal & River Trust, Daventry Town Council, and Brixworth Country Park.
“Based on the feedback from last year, it’s clear not everyone realises they can put dog fouling in general litter bins, so we are making that a focus of this year’s campaign in order to raise awareness.”
People can find out more information about the Paint Means Poo campaign at www.daventrydc.gov.uk/dogfouling