Darlington signs up to Walk this Way
As more than one in ten dog owners admit leaving behind bags of poo on dog walks, mostly because they couldn’t find a bin, Britain’s largest canine charity, Dogs Trust, has extended its Walk This Way programme, which works in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy to keep our public spaces clean from dog mess.
When Dogs Trust polled 2,000 dog owners* it found that, shockingly, 13% of owners admitted to leaving behind bagged dog poo, either accidentally or deliberately, of whom 54% said that they had done so because there were no bins nearby. Other reasons given were forgetting to collect poo bags on the way back, bins being full and not wanting to carry them around.
The Walk This Way programme is hoping to reduce the amount of dog waste left in public spaces. Twelve new sites have now been unveiled and include the footpath at the Baydale Beck, off Coniscliffe Road, Darlington.
Popular dog walking routes will unveil maps to show where bins are placed with clear signage to find them while also adding more bins. The new sites will also feature colour-coded routes which clearly mark the length of the walk and direct walkers to the nearest bins to dispose of their dogs’ waste. The walks will start being introduced from Monday 6 June and the bins and signage will be in place until November.
Michelle Moat, Community Education & Engagement Officer at Dogs Trust, said:
“Walking a dog is a wonderful past time with many health benefits for both owner and pooch. However, part of being a responsible dog owner is ensuring you pick up after your dog and suitably dispose of the waste. Previous interventions have shown that by having more bins available, clearer signposting and messaging that ‘Any Bin Will Do’ has dramatically improved the surrounding areas.
“We’re excited by the potential of our new Walk This Way routes and can’t wait to see the improvements it will make. Hopefully it will be a long-term change to the area and make the space more enjoyable for everyone.”
Keep Britain Tidy Litter and Place Services Manager, Rachel Scarisbrick, said:
“We are pleased to be continuing this partnership to help dog owners clear up their dog poo and make green, public spaces free from unwanted waste.
“We have already seen that Walk This Way has reduced the amount of waste left behind by dog owners and we hope that this success can continue in even more sites this year.”
Councillor Mike Renton, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with Dogs Trust and Keep Britain Tidy on this initiative to help tackle the issue of dog fouling, which affects all wards across the borough.
“We know that most dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pets, but we’re hoping this initiative will help remind and encourage everyone to do their bit to keep our streets and green spaces clean for us all to enjoy.”
Walk This Way previously ran in 2017 (with six sites) and again in 2018 (with 15 sites), encouraging owners to correctly deposit their dog’s waste in any general waste bin. This intervention successfully reduced fouling instances by 38% and 40% respectively.
Walk This Way hopes to improve the green spaces of the 12 new sites involved for all using them.