Combating fly-tipping pile ups that pose health hazards to loved ones, Hyson Green Community Action was a naturally formed group sparked from the thirty year build of frustration from sisters Zaynab and Farzana Akhtar. Starting with a popular petition, Hyson Green locals have come together to not only change their environment, but the mindset of the younger generation who call the area home. We decided to talk to the sisters behind the clean scheme to discover their future goals and current achievement.
Zaynab and Farzana Akhtar didn’t plan to set up a community group. Long-time residents of Hyson Green, the sisters were used to seeing fly-tipping pile ups in alleyways and outside their front doors. But when it started putting their kids’ and elderly parents’ health at risk, they decided to act. What started as a petition and a few flyers has now grown into Hyson Green Community Action, a collaborative effort to clean up local streets and challenge perceptions.
“We’ve lived here for over thirty years,” says Zaynab. “And the fly-tipping, or illegal waste dumping, has gotten worse. It affects everyone - residents, businesses. My sister’s children have weak immune systems, and one day, we had to walk past a pile of rubbish, there were bags ripped open by animals, rotten meat, flies. You can imagine how much of a health risk that is.”
It was a build-up of frustration over time which had finally burst, Farzana explains. “It wasn’t just that one time. It was every day. Bags out on the street, cats and rats tearing them open. When I got to my mum’s house that day Zaynab said, ‘We have to do something.’ But we said, ‘Let’s start a petition. Let’s get people together.’”
“When we started the petition our main focus was raising awareness of how this is affecting people and how people play a part in fixing it, instead of blame shifting each other,” Zaynab continues. “It isn't just the shops, it isn't just the residents, it isn't just the council's responsibility. We're all in this together.”
The sisters started a WhatsApp group that quickly gained traction, but with the group’s growth came new responsibilities. “I remember saying to Zaynab, ‘What if what we’re doing isn’t legal?’” Farzana laughs. “We had to think about GDPR, all these rules. So we looked into setting up something more official. That’s when we registered as a CIC, with help from Nottingham Social Enterprise services.”
One of their early partners was the Nottz Garden Project, who noticed a leaflet about the petition and reached out. Together, they transformed a derelict corner of Berridge Road, once a hotspot for dumped furniture and bin bags, into a vibrant garden space. Now, Farzana explains, “in the morning when I go to drop off my daughter to school, you can hear the nursery kids getting excited and they say, ‘Wow! Look at those flowers!’ There’s a mural, plants everywhere.”
If a child walks home past piles of rubbish every day, what does that say to them about their worth? That’s what we’re trying to shift – not just the mess, but the mindset.
Fly-tipping isn’t just an environmental issue, it affects how people see their area, and themselves. “We talk about the ‘broken window theory,’” says Farzana. “If a place looks run down, it gets treated badly. But there are amazing people living here - professionals, doctors, nurses, business owners. It’s not just a ‘deprived’ area.”
“We realised we focus so much on children’s development in school and nursery,” Zaynab adds, “but what about the environment they live in day-to-day? If a child walks home past piles of rubbish every day, what does that say to them about their worth? That’s what we’re trying to shift – not just the mess, but the mindset.”
The group has drawn inspiration from many local partners, including Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC), where the sisters have volunteered. “They work in collaboration with a lot of other entities, and we learned a lot from them,” says Zaynab. One collaboration Shifting Your Mindset, a group offering free hot meals on Mondays and Fridays at Hyson Green Community Centre. “They’ve been brilliant,” says Zaynab. “We promote their events and they support ours. We even did a joint litter pick, and that was a great way of building bridges with others in the area.”
Another key ally is John Luca from Clean Champions, the network of volunteer litter pickers supported by Nottingham City Council. “We joined one of his monthly litter picks early on,” Zaynab explains. “At first, there weren’t many people, so we helped promote it online. Now, more people are showing up. That’s the kind of small but real change we’re trying to make.”
The group is also exploring creative approaches to waste reduction. They’ve begun encouraging shops to donate unused materials like pallets and carpet offcuts, which can be repurposed by schools for imaginative play. “It’s about turning waste into something useful, and involving kids in that process,” says Farzana.
Zaynab has also been using storytelling as a way to raise awareness. “When I started the petition, I didn’t want it to be about blame. I wanted to show how it affects everyone – the businesses, the stray animals, the kids. So I wrote true stories, illustrating how it impacts different lives. Sometimes people just need to hear it in a different way.”
The sisters are working events, educational outreach, new campaigns, but the Facebook page remains a key space for connection. “That’s where people can find us, share their experiences, and get involved,” says Zaynab. “We’re planning an event soon so we can introduce ourselves to more residents. We want to make it as welcoming as possible.”
“It was never our intention to set all this up,” says Farzana. “But we couldn’t ignore it anymore. It’s heartbreaking to see your area disrespected like that. A lot of the teenagers, when you listen to them, they feel like because they’re from this area, they can’t grow up and do anything in the world, which obviously isn’t true. But it becomes a fixed mindset, we want to change that.”
To get involved and find out more about the Hyson Green Community Action visit their Facebook page.
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