Finally, over the (almost) two and a half decades that Cleanzine’s been broadcasting, I reckon that this must have happened three or four times previously… yes – someone’s mistaken a ‘work of art’ for litter and binned it. This time though, it wasn’t one of the cleaners, but a lift engineer. Hurrah for that! I daresay that the ‘culprit’ will be receiving jibes over his/her actions for years to come, but I wonder how many folk will reflect on the fact that he/she did what so many of us should do, but don’t… pick up other people’s litter and find a bin for it? I get why people don’t. Litter may be contaminated with excrement or the like, or contain glass or sharps. We just don‘t know these days, do we? Plus in so many of our towns, villages and public spaces, there are so few bins about, so what we pick up may not be something we’re able or prepared to carry around with us until we find one. I keep my bins at the front of my property, on the boundary. Originally it was so they couldn’t be used by those of ill intent to climb over my front gate, but I soon noticed people using them to discard their own rubbish as they walked by. I rather like that and only hope that they’re locals who’ll know how to use the correct bin and thus won’t contaminate my carefully sorted loads. Further news on the binned artwork is below… 

  

I rarely have a chance to ‘big up’ the BBC these days, but have to congratulate its investigative reporters on their work uncovering the Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings scam whereby some businesses are displaying false ratings i.e. giving themselves a top rating of five as opposed to their awarded rating which in some cases is zero. The BBC says it’s a nationwide problem that involves small businesses and restaurants right through to a large supermarket chain. In case you’re unfamiliar with the system, the FSA's hygiene ratings provide information about the cleanliness and safety practices of establishments that sell or serve food. They’re based on such factors as food handling practices, facility cleanliness, potential pest infestations and overall food safety management. 

  

I’ve always believed that this system was more accurate than Trip Advisor or Google reviews since the stickers were based on the findings of official inspectors rather than a potentially disgruntled customer hellbent on revenge. Clearly not! I don’t get the thinking behind being given a poor rating and the decision to pretend you’re doing so much better than you are. Surely if you’ve been pulled up on anything by an inspector, you have a public duty to put things right. And what about personal pride? To read the nitty gritty, visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3wp46l3gv4o