Council to empty dog waste bins more frequently after new park's ‘unexpected’ popularity left bins overflowing
East Devon County Council has increased the frequency of emptying dog waste bins at Clyst Meadows Country Park to three times a week, following a surge in visitor numbers and overflowing bins.
East Devon County Council has confirmed they will empty dog waste bins more frequently after a new park’s “unexpected” popularity saw bins overflowing and left dog walkers with nowhere to dispose of their waste.
Clyst Meadows Country Park, in Broadclyst, Exeter opened to the public at the end of September.
Visitor numbers were initially expected to be “relatively low”, according to East Devon County Council, however after a “well-attended” opening day and a viral moment on social media, Clyst Meadows has seen a growing number of visitors.
The green space was designed to be accessible and dog-friendly, with “dog-proof” fencing and gates to keep pets secure, as well as surfaced paths suitable for pushchairs and wheelchair users.
There are three dog waste bins around the park - two in the car park and one at the pedestrian entrance off Shercroft Close.
The council has confirmed it was initially only emptying the bins once a week. This meant the bins were filling up quickly and dog walkers were left to choose between taking home their waste or adding to the overflow.
“We have been monitoring the site to review how often the dog waste bins need to be emptied,” said a spokesperson for East Devon County Council.
“As the country park is already proving popular we have now increased the dog-waste bin emptying schedule to three times per week on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and will review the frequency over the coming weeks.
“We’d like to thank all dog owners who clean up after their dogs, however there are a small number of visitors to the site who are not picking up their dog’s poo. This is obviously unhygienic and poses a health risk to other people visiting the site, to our site management team, and has a negative impact on the site’s biodiversity.
“We would therefore ask all visitors to use the site respectfully and clean up after their dogs.”
Visitors can report overflowing bins at Clyst Meadows Country Park here.