Trying to do the right thing: Pensioner who has picked litter for 25 years told he needs a licence by red-tape council
The pensioner has been clearing up waste around Cleethorpes’ North Wall (not pictured)
PA
A resident who has spent the last 25 years cleaning up rubbish from his hometown had been informed that he now needs a license to take it to the tip.
Frank Sparkes, 76, said he felt ”embarrassed” after being turned away from the skip he has so frequently visited.
For the last quarter of a century, the pensioner has been clearing up waste around Cleethorpes’ North Wall.
The waste he collected had been left by the wall, essentially being fly-tipped.
Sparkes has collected rubbish from Cleethorpes’ North Wall for years
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His valiant efforts have even earned him the nickname the “North wall cleaner”.
However, new rules on fly-tipping at Grimsby Recycling Centre saw Sparkes being refused entry.
“I was taking mattresses and house waste before and now I can't take them, and I've been turned away three times,” he told the Grimsby Live website.
“They're saying that because I've entered into the streets I'm classed as commercial now, so I'll need a special waste carrier licence. But I'm not a business and everything's coming out of my own pocket, it's a passion of mine and I just want to make a difference.”
However now he must leave bulky items behind when going to the recycling centre.
The former painter and decorator began cleaning the North Wall in 1998, as part of a scheme run by the Humberside Police which encouraged young people to take part in a community project.
He enjoyed helping youths in the area so much that he continued cleaning the wall once the project had finished.
“After they went back to school, I couldn't let it go. I just loved keeping it clean and helping the wildlife. It was disgusting, it really was, and I just wanted to get it sorted out. So for 25 years I've been doing it on my own with a big old wooden trailer,” Sparkes said.
Sparkes won the Environmental Impact Award at the Civic Awards this year, for his cleaning efforts.
“It was absolutely fantastic. When I won that award it felt like Christmas. I was so emotional, when my name came up I couldn't believe it, it's so nice that I'm getting so much support,” he said.
However, now the pensioner cannot clean the wall as effectively as he used to in years past.
“It's so emotional. I go down that wall and see rubbish I can't take and I know I can't take it, but I can't rest until I can pick it up because I know when I go again it'll just get built up and built up and the fly-tipping will start again. I've saved birds in nets and all sorts down there, it's not just fly tipping, I'm saving the wildlife too.
Sparkes won an award for his cleaning efforts
PA
“It hurts me. It's been like this since I won the award.
“Giving me an award for what I do and then saying I can't do it, it's embarrassing. I've done it for so long, mainly on my own. I feel as if I'm being targeted.”
Frank has launched an online fundraising appeal to hire a skip once a month to dispose of the larger items.
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “Frank does a great job getting rid of litter and we really appreciate the time and effort he puts in to making the borough a better place.
“We don’t set the legislation relating to waste management, that’s done by central government. Under the rules, fly-tipped waste is treated differently to littering and this is where we need to make sure we all abide by the legislation.
“We are happy to speak with Frank and look at how we can work together to resolve this.”
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