Sheffield residents call for landlords to tackle 'student tipping'

Residents in Broomhill say that some students are leaving rubbish on the streets, despite receiving advice on how to clean up from both the community and the University.

They have been working closely with the University of Sheffield to notify students of the correct way to dispose of rubbish, even creating newsletters to hand out to students when they move in, letting them know bin collection times.

The area around Whitham Road and Moor Oaks Road is ideal for students as it's close to the University, and is a mix of both family houses and student accomodation.

However, at this time of year it is often plagued with litter, as a select few dump their belongings before leaving the city.

One resident has lived in Broomhill for over 30 years, and says that it is not all students who are making a mess, but normally those in houses let by rogue landlords.

They say more needs to be done by those landlords to tackle student litter: "It happens every year to some extent.

"Some students don't bother, quite often it's the ones with rogue landlords with the worst litter.

"It's the disregard that I'm most angry about, that they think it's alright to do it in our neighbourhood.

"It's regarded as someone else's problem. It tends to be the houses with the worst landlords, the ones that aren't kept well.

"I am sure that these students would not dream of dealing with their rubbish like this at their parents’ houses so why do they think it is acceptable to do so in our residential area."

The rubbish can attract vermin and foxes, who then distribute the litter around the streets.

According residents the problem is down to two or three rogue houses, where residents struggle to manage their rubbish, that can often spread around the garden or on the streets.

"There is a duvet in one of the gardens, it's not acceptable," one resident said.

"The neighbourhood letter tells them what's happening, it's a welcome to the neighbourhood and tells them bin days.

"They're used to different recycling in other parts of the country, so we let them know how it works in Sheffield."

Each year both Universities in the city offer red sacks for students, which can be used for rubbish that won't fit in their black bin.

The red sack scheme is run in partnership with Sheffield Council, to allow students moving out of their accommodation to discard surplus rubbish easily.

Council contractor Veolia is responsible for collecting the waste as part of regular bin collections.

The British Heart Foundation also offer recycling bags for items which can be donated to charity, and students can pick these up from their student's union.