Posted By Ian Blenkharn
Clairel
Be very very very careful not to jump on a snappy little bandwagon of condemnation at least until you have thought through the issues involved.
Grass cuttings and soil etc on the pavement left over from cutting of verges is a recognised hazard and accidents have occurred. IWM have information on quite a few claims, from slips and dirt etc being trodden into shops, offices and homes, to accidents on the highway as grass cutting vehicles make a slippery mess on the highway.
Silly comments about LAs expecting someone to pick up a leaf sit uncomfortably against the quite common fixed penalty notices issued to those who drop even the smallest amount of litter, including on occasions that which will most definitely be eaten quickly by the birds.
H&SEHO - I doubt that is your real name, and can't imagine for a moment why you and others, clairel included, hide behind these pen names - Consider the action of your Council in circumstances that are effectively reversed, as described above. Check also what happens on the lovely landscaped lawns around your Council Offices. I doubt they are left as is with a tongue in cheek explanation that the mulch is good.
Next, put it all down on paper, pros and cons, and send it to the Councillors. Ask them if they can imagine any circumstance in which the electorate would tolerate those dual standards. Ask them also if they would be happy to risk not being re-elected when the time comes.
It isn't a high level H&S issue, though it would be for the individual who slips on the cuttings. Its largely a matter of management policy and service standards etc, though realistically an accident might happen one day. And since it might cost votes - try a letter to the local newspaper to gauge opinion if you are uncertain - your Councillors might make the decision for you.
Or leave it to clairel, who might decide also to leave other garden clippings, cigarette ends, crisp packets other sweetie wrappers, burger wrappers, old tyres, mattresses, old sofas and the rest just where they fall.
Your Council will no doubt have a written policy on litter management and if it is bullish about it, may consider every dropped morsel as a serious enviro crime. Take a lead from their approach, but do ask the Councillors is they would be happy to manage the flack that they might receive. After all, it's their policy, not yours
Ian