To get so cross at litter

I knew about the terrorist bin ban. Why don't they stop having bins on the street and in theatres or wherever, if that is still the case? Surely the IRA, who were the original culprits, haven't done anything like that for about 30 years now? Besides, terrorists have found much "better" ways of killing people.

This time of year the dreadful amount of litter and fly tipping which occur are particularly exposed by the Autumn die-back of vegetation. My beautiful county is desecrated by the selfish behaviour of litterers and tippers. What can one do? These are the same people who would think nothing of abusing those who remonstrated. When a group of Irish people in caravans camped on our green last summer they broke every law and by-law they could, trashed our lovely village and used verges and gardens as toilets. Horrible.

Over 70 litter bins have been removed from just my ward of the city. Dog poo bins have also disappeared so more and more squalid offering lie in gutters, on verges and decorate bushes. If dog owners bother to bag it why can’t they also take it home? Notices threaten fines for littering but these are rarely enforced. We are literally living in shit.

I have heard about a Northern City having" litter police", non - uniform people who are in the City and catch people idly leaving litter around on pavements etc, the fine is pretty hefty, they wont do it twice if caught!

I think I prize my bin men above most others. Thank heavens their job is markedly easier now with the clip on wheelies. I've lived in this house for many years and never had a collection missed. I clearly remember the days of yore when on a windy day they would be showered in ash from fireplaces. I've also been told they encountered many awful sights which I'll leave to your imagination! I was once in a group of 'elites' when we were debating the topic of people/employment evaluation and, when I put forward dustbinmen the retort was 'oh, you must be a communist then'. Never forgotten that.

There has been a news article lately about a young girl who picks up rubbish on her school journeys and puts it in the basket on her bike. She has been mocked and bullied by her school mates for doing this and they have given her the name Trash Girl. I think she is fantastic, she’s only about 12 or 13 but it goes to show she cares. She has had a lot of publicity and now says she doesn’t mind being called a Trash Girl, good for her. If all her school mates joined in instead of being idiots, the world would be a cleaner place.

Just to follow on, her name is Nadia and she lives in Norwich. If you google Trash Girl you will find her. If I knew how to attach the link I would.

I had just bagged up after my dog when walking along the nearby canal towpath when a young woman came along and threw her litter down. When I mentioned how I felt about her action she just pointed and said 'Others do it'. Grrrr

Apparently Nadia has a cartoon strip named after her now. Hopefully it may make an impression.

Last time we went to India one of our party was complaining about all the litter and rubbish. She was a bit taken aback when I said England wasn't much better, it just didn't show as much because the grass was longer. Others joined in to agree, she'd obviously got used to it and just didn't see the rubbish at home. In India with little ground cover and cows, goats etc rooting around in it it showed up more.

We were sitting in a queue to join the North Circular in London and there were rats running through the heaps of rubbish on the verge less than a hundred yards from housing. I just don't understand the stupidity mentality of those people who seem to think that when they throw something away it vanishes into thin air.

Littering so goes against the grain. I couldn’t drop the smallest thing. When I challenged a youth about the carry out packaging he’d just dropped on the pavement. I was told it gives the council workers something to do and keeps them in a job!!! I was gobsmacked and you don’t want to hear the rant I went into!!!

My car is full of rubbish and I love it, there is a once a month clear out but I am happy that it all comes home with me and into the bin eventually.

What I don't understand is why we have the open bins for recycling..........the first puff of wind and all the paper and light plastic is up the road and all over the place.

This is a terrible problem. I see people lob big carrier bags out of the window into the fields and ditches, whilst driving along through our country lanes. I live close to a beautiful river and weir, which is a beauty spot on the edge of London, but after a weekend it's a disgusting mess. Litter everywhere!! I just don't know how they can do it. I would be mortified if I was forced to.

There is a great video on Facebook of a motorcyclist who picks up people’s litter when they drop it chases after them and slings it into their car windows

...and then it blows in a river and ends up in the sea killing wild life ahhhhhhhhhh

Waiting outside a shopping centre, once, I watched a teenage girl finish a bag of crisps and then very skilfully and cunningly edge herself backwards with the bag behind her back and then deliberately drop it in the doorway of the shopping centre.

Then skip off.

There were two of those huge black, square litter bins with the council logo on them on either side of the doorway.

Stupid, slutty cow!

My village has a large team of litter picking volunteers. Each of us has their own 'patch' of three or four roads and the chap on the parish council who organises it provides gloves, a picker and bin bags. I am well acquainted with the ways of litter pickers on my patch and 80% of them throw the litter out of moving cars in the section as they leave the village where there are no houses. Clearly they are well aware they are littering because they wait until they cant be seen. Alarmingly quite a lot of the litter is empty beer cans, half bottles of vodka and gin. It concerns me that this means people may be swigging the booze in their cars! Baby nappies are another favourite (usually full!). Most people who spot us picking are great and shout out thanks, but I have had people stop and moan at me saying its the job of the council and we shouldnt be doing it. On the plus side the team all get free coffee and biscuits after our pick and the village looks amazing for a while.

I know a lady who saw someone emptying an ashtray into the car park. She went and bent over beside the car and picked every one up and gave them back to them - I think she said “I think your dropped these” but that may be wishful thinking on my part. They were so shocked they just drove away saying nothing. With red faces I hope.

I was told a similar story by someone, their husband had popped out for a paper or something and a passenger from car passing threw a chip wrapper out of the car window practically by his feet. They had to stop just a short way ahead at some traffic lights, so quick as a flash he picked up the chip papers ran to the car, opened the door, threw it back in with the comment "you dropped this". They were rather surprised to say the least but didn't say anything and then the lights changed and they had to drive off.

I’m pleased to say littering on the tubes in London seems to have decreased from what I can see...maybe because of cctv I don’t know....it makes me wonder what kind homes litter louts live in!

I particularly hate to see litter on a beach. I have actually challenged more than a few families. We always take spare bag to gather up any rubbish before we leave and I have asked several of they wanted to use my bag to collect up their rubbish to dispose of into bin on promenade. Most has just agreed and done it.

In our local (south London) parks you can always tell if local lads have been playing football by the piles of water bottles strewn around. It is almost as if it’s a matter of pride to swagger off and leave litter.

Bathsheba I think if you are getting rubbish removed, all you can do is use a reputable company. I found one, I think it was on Mumsnet. They seemed very good and had a good score on Trustpilot. I gave them a good review. They wouldn't take cash and sent an invoice but were the most reasonably priced. They have marked vans so anyone can see if they fly tip. It is worth finding out what the local tip charges and if they are asking too little taking that, their costs and wages into account, it probably won't get there.
Unfortunately, you can't be 100% sure.

Me too. I regularly get some very funny looks at my local,bus stops, where I do regularly pick up and put in the bin - there is ALWAYS litter, despite there being bins just 2 or 3 steps away.
I don't know whether people who litter are stupid, ignorant, bone idle, or all three.

My nephew was fined last year for dropping his cigarette end on the ground in Northampton centre. So some areas do do something about it.

If you have a company take away your rubbish it is your responsibility to check they have a licence.

Whilst sitting in my car at the petrol station I saw a car window open and a banana skin fly out, I was out of my car in a flash and threw it back in. The person in the passenger seat never said a thing and I half expected it to be thrown out again as they drove off but it was not.