Anger after McDonald's bins offer on litter-strewn Sheffield street is rejected

People who live in and around Norfolk Park Road, close to the city centre, raised concerns over the ‘disgusting’ levels of fast food junk in the street.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Green Party member for Sheffield’s City Ward, told how the manager of the McDonald’s drive-through on Farm Road had approached him just last year saying he wanted to do something about littering by his customers following numerous complaints.

Coun Johnson said the restaurant boss proposed to supply and empty five litter bins – two each on Farm Road and Granville Road, and one on Norfolk Park Road.

But Sheffield City Council reprotedly rejected the offer, he revealed, due to concerns about what would happen should the bins be damaged or emptied too rarely, or should the restaurant close.

Council officers instead suggested McDonald’s could either pay the council’s waste contractor Amey to provide new bins, which Amey would empty, or sponsor existing ones – neither of which it is understood to have done.

The situation has left many readers wondering how to best tackle the problem in a series of posts on The Star’s Facebook page.

Rich Biddulph said people should not point the finger at the council when it is people dropping litter who are to blame.

He added that it is “very easy to blame 'the man' for a problem rooted in a lack of respect for our surroundings.”

Medina King added: “Signs, cameras and fines, that would be my suggestion - you drop litter, you pay.”

Leanne Gilbank posted there is: “Not enough bins everywhere.”

A spokeswoman for McDonald’s said the restaurant chain is ‘open to further discussing any concerns with residents, and working with the council to help find a resolution.’

They added that staff complete ‘daily litter picks in the areas surrounding our restaurants’.

Councillor Mark Jones, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We have been in contact with Coun Johnson on several occasions and explained the options available to McDonald’s, which would ultimately help improve litter levels around Norfolk Park Road.

“As part of these discussions, we outlined two approaches that could help to resolve the accumulation of litter arising from its restaurant on nearby Farm Road.

“We’re not aware of any direct contact from McDonald’s, and since putting these options forward neither Coun Johnson nor McDonald’s has come back to us to progress this.

“We are very keen to meet with them to discuss how we resolve this issue and have already offered to do so in previous communications to Coun Johnson.”

He added the authority is ‘totally supportive of all initiatives to combat litter across the city’.