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The following was received from an Oxford resident:
I leave my large food waste
recycling bin outside my house on top of my landfill waste bin. I ensure that it is always locked. Today I found my bin in
the state shown. I can only guess that this is rat damage.
I will not be recycling my food waste until the council can provide a rat-proof container for it.
Council Tax in Oxford City was increased by a staggering 4.5%
in 2009:
We have one of the highest council tax charges
in England and yet our council fail to provide us with a decent rubbish collection.
1. We are still campaigning - people still contact us all the time with information
as to how their area has turned into rubbish tip since the introduction of AWCs. We continue to monitor and we have the evidence
that the AWCs are not working and Oxford is in a disgusting stinking mess.
2. We met with the council, provide them with ideas which they either rejected or have not acted on.
The council promised us that they would hold another meeting, however, they have failed to contact us since.
3. We still continue to work with the Weekly Waste Campaign on a national level.
Fly Facts
- The life expectancy of a fly is eight days, weekly collections were introduced because of this fact.
- Flies belong to the Order Diptera.
- There are 16,000 species of flies.
- Flies plague every part of the world - except the polar ice caps.
- One pair of flies can produce more than one million offspring in as little as six to eight weeks.
- Flies transmit pathogenic protozoa, bacteria, viruses, worms, rickettsia and fugues.
- They also serve as host for Staphylococcus aureaus, Salmonella entireties, E. coli, Strep agalaciae and Strep
agalctiae.
- As many as 33 million microorganisms may flourish in a single fly's gut, while a half billion more swarm
over its body and legs.
- Flies spread diseases readily because they move quickly from rotting, disease-laden rubbish to exposed foods
and utensils.
Rats
Rats are Neophobic they are very wary of anything
new and will not approach new objects for approx 10 days. This is confirmed by pest controllers when laying down poison as
bait. The normal refuse collection every 7 days is therefore no problem, however, when rubbish is left for longer the rats
overcome their fear and investigate the rubbish. They require a constant water supply which explains why so many are found
by canals and rivers. Rats have a normal lifespan ranging from two to five years, though three years is typical.
Rats can carry over thirty different diseases
dangerous to humans, including, Weils disease, typhus, salmonella and bubonic plague
Scientist Martina Flynn, who has been commissioned
by the British Pest Control Association to find new ways of combating the menace, said: 'If piles of rubbish are left out
for two week - or even longer during holiday periods - that's exactly what they need to survive and flourish.
'Rats are becoming harder to control, because they know food
is easy to find and will eat that rather than poisoned bait. They are acquiring a behavioural resistance which means they
won't eat what's in the bait box
