WHEN you read this, all votes will have been counted and the results of the local election 2022 will have been announced.

Thanks for voting for a fairer, greener city.

The newly elected Scottish Green Party councillors are getting ready to start work on the local issues that matter to you.

There are many concerns raised by residents on the doorstep during the local election campaign to follow up.

One of the key issues which dominated our conversations is street cleansing. It has been emphasised when talking with residents that they want cleaner streets.

In the next five years of the council, residents want to support a determined effort from the council to create litter-free places where they live and work.

Litter on our streets, and roadsides, as well as in our rivers, canal and public spaces is having a negative impact on people’s daily lives throughout Glasgow.

The dumping of litter is ruining people’s enjoyment of the city’s streets and makes open spaces appear as eyesores and waste grounds.

Green councillors will focus on delivering increased support for communities to develop litter prevention plans involving all relevant local partners.

We want to work with residents, businesses and council workers to make a major breakthrough in terms of Glasgow’s record on recycling.

Within our 56 local neighbourhoods, there will require to be specific action taken to reduce litter and increase recycle and reuse.

It is vital that we minimise the amount of litter and its effect on nature by supporting use of reusable alternatives rather than single-use items. Our aim has to be that everyone is able to reuse, repair, refurbish and recycle existing materials and products.

Working with residents and frontline workers, we can agree on improvements to services, taking a close-by-close, street-by-street approach to solving litter problems.

It has to be made easier for people to re-use and recycle, by supporting local repair hubs, community re-use charities, and increasing the range of materials which can be recycled at home. There has to be a guarantee of the same recycling opportunities for people living in flats and tenements as those in houses, including options for food, garden waste and glass recycling, and better communal recycling points.

Through improved information and support for householders, including clear information displays in community languages within residential properties and on bins, we can bring about the changes needed in our streets.

Glasgow can give more support to plastics reduction initiatives by supporting zero waste shopping and using planning and licensing powers to provide public water refill points in local areas.

We need to increase the number of environmental health officers, explore ways to improve evidence gathering, and lobby for changes to national legislation so it is easier to address serious fly-tipping.

Our focus is also on ensuring all businesses use appropriate waste and recycling collections, and there is better coordination of city-wide waste services.

Delivering enhanced services to solve litter problems and neighbourhood deep cleans on a regular basis are a priority for all Scottish Green councillors.