Whitehorse News - August 2023

A rubbish bin has been installed at Vermont South’s Charlesworth Park after a young resident contacted Council with concerns about litter piling up.

Grade 6 student Harriet Doig emailed Council’s City Services team asking for a bin as part of a project at her school, St Luke the Evangelist, in Blackburn South.

Harriet lives near the park and told officers that on one occasion, she took it upon herself to clean up rubbish with her brother and sister "because it got so bad.”

Council Officers visited the park on several occasions to monitor the situation. They then determined Harriet’s request was warranted given its proximity to nearby Livingstone Primary School and local shops.

A bin was then installed near the park’s playground in late June, much to Harriet’s delight.

“When we were coming here, there was a lot of rubbish on the picnic table and around the park,” she said.

“It’s really good we’ve got a bin in this park now, and hopefully it will be a lot cleaner.”

Council’s Cleansing Coordinator, Mark Worsey congratulated Harriet on her initiative and for bringing the situation to his team’s attention.

“We communicated back to Harriet’s school and kept her informed,” Mark said.

“Something my team does well is we take concerns from all members of the community seriously, including young people, and we endeavour to reply back and update them on the status of their request.”