Rubbish

I always thought charities collected left behind tents at festivals and put them to good use, now I am reliably informed most go to landfill and it costs thousands to collect and dispose of them. Money that could be used to benefit the needy.

This is such a serious problem; those who are fly tipping, scattering rubbish, polluting with plastic and allowing chemical waste to discharge into the rivers and oceans are killing the planet. I dread to think what kind of life my grandchildren will have if this goes on. I have read of a potential scenario of fighting for fresh water, and new illnesses the stuff of nightmares. Governments seem to be so weak and so afraid of offending - some really serious fines, imprisonment for the worst offences of polluting, perhaps confiscating the vehicles of fly tippers - we desperately need some backbone to be displayed for what is an increasingly dangerous problem, and fast.

That many dumped bodyboards is disgusting. The local beach shops should be banned from selling polystyrene boards. I think we have always been a lazy, dirty, untidy nation - we don't like getting our hands dirty and expect 'other people' to do it. It's just worse now especially since lockdown.

I am reminded of a school I once worked at where litter on the school grounds and surrounding streets and fields was a big problem much of it dropped by the students. Residents, shopkeepers and parents were always complaining. So a sponsored Student Litter Pick was organised with teachers and staff assisting and any parents who wanted to help. Gloves, masks, refuse sacks and long handled pickers were provided by the school. All proceeds going to the WWF (the children's choice). More than half of the parents refused to let their children take part, claiming it was dirty, demeaning work - even though their kids had probably contributed to the problem! One mother phoned and told me "Get the Paki and Ni**er kids to do it it's what they're used to". I wasn't shocked by her comment, I'd heard similar often enough in that area, but so disappointed that the children were being stopped from doing something useful for the community. What example were those parents giving their children? The litter pick still went ahead albeit with a greatly reduced army of pickers, and the kids that took part gained a wider knowledge of how their lazy, thoughtless behaviour impacted on the whole community.

that freaked me out.Lazy- good - for - nothings. no pride in themselves or country. whose to blame? parents or teachers or we as a society for allowing this to happen to our beautiful beaches ?

These are body boards not surf boards, They're very cheap and they break very easily so idiots think it's oK just to discard them. Please don't confuse this kind of behaviour with that of real surfers. Surfers tend to be very ocean-conscious and careful and often belong to Surfers Against Sewage, a charity aimed at keeping the sea clean. My daughter-in-law is a former UK surf champion - she and her friends regularly go out and do beach clearing in Cornwall. It's appalling - not only what people leave for others to tidy up but also what comes in from ships and leisure sailors out there on the water.

Oh I see.

The discarded surfboards are all Margaret Thatcher’s fault.

I have read some stupid statements on these threads but honestly.....

Could these surfboards be recycled I wonder? Or if not couldn’t councils provide a facility on beaches for people to leave unwanted surfboards at the end of the day or holiday so that the council could dispose of them properly?

The discarded surfboards are all Margaret Thatcher’s fault.
Yes, for ridiculousness, that post has to win top prize!

Perhaps they were left over from when Sunny Jim was PM and the streets were full of filth and rats ran amok.

Agree with Rosina wholeheartedly. Backbone must be shown - local and central government. Automatic fines that will really damage the offender's pocket. Prosecution for second and repeat offenders. Enforced hours of community litter picking for same. Prison terms for any proven offence known to have caused serious environmental damage and/or a risk to the health of other human beings or animals.
Also - environmental issues and citizenship to be mandatory subjects for all school and college students in Personal and Social Education.

Callistemon - an interesting point or two you make about rubbish piled in the streets. I don't disagree, but Thatcher began the systemic destruction of the UK's core manufacturing base - British management styles, lack of investment were equally to blame along with the extremist trade union actions. She simply took advantage with her homespun jingoism and sale of public assets, whilst frittering away the wealth generated by north sea oil and gas.

But - whilst 'cleaning the streets' - the economic recessions of the 1980s and early 90s - reinforced the monetarist grip on society. Ultimately perhaps we are reaping the unforeseen consequences of that economically damaging era from 1979/80 onwards.

The 'authorities' and government today are still seeking to blame others for the consequences of their actions and inactions. So nothing has really changed - despite the efforts of those who care for the environment in equal measure to the economy of our society.

JenniferEccles - of course the discarded surfboards are not Thatcher's personal fault. But - "Or if not couldn’t councils provide a facility on beaches for people to leave unwanted surfboards at the end of the day..."

I'm sure they could, if successive governments had not continued to cut funding to provide such facilities - perhaps we should look to ensuring tax avoidance by major organisations is dealt with as waste too.

Railman, I don`t think I was suggesting"bring back hanging " for one moment

I do get so fed up with fines, fines , fines, and do they pay them?

I think they should be made to clean up the place....

railman

I know and understand all that.

However, I still cannot see the connection between that and the fact that we have a generation or two who will not take home their rubbish and dispose of it correctly.

Their young children learn one lesson in school and are taught another by their parents.
I doubt it is those of our generation who leave their filth behind.

However much I think about it I just can’t see the connection between people today littering the streets and beaches with Thatcherism!!

I`m with you Riverwalk.

Tory bashing, police bashing, softly softly courts, psychologists making excuses for bad behaviour.

Everyone except the perpetrator is to blame for all of society's ills.

Getting really fed up with Gransnet when even a thread about litter becomes a resurrection of Thatcher hatred.

There is no connection Gwyneth ! None whatsoever, but some posters of a certain political leaning will take any opportunity to blame Mrs. Thatcher for everything.

Obviously of course we all know that those responsible for the dreadful state of our beaches are lazy uncaring individuals who leave their rubbish for someone else to deal with.

Incidentally the Thatchers often holidayed at Constantine Bay, and I am certain they would have been as horrified as the rest of us at the sight of a littered beach.

Perhaps the behaviour we are experiencing now in the UK is what Magaluf and other resorts have had to endure when certain Brits descended on them every year - but travel restrictions are keeping them in the UK now.

There seems to be much emphasis on the environment in schools and in the media, it's obviously falling on a lot of cloth ears.

I agree, Coconut. For goodness sake, if you enjoy the sea why on earth would you wish to pollute it? Where are their brains? We hear so much about the environment these days that nobody can not know what we are doing to the planet. Only lasts week on our local beach we saw a huge pool that children had presumably dug out, surrounded by empty drinks cans!!

It really infuriates me that people think others are there to clear up after them, their children, their dogs, and pretty much anything else.
So many people are living in awful environments around the world.

We have everything on hand to help us, but no.
Too entitled to clear up our own mess.

makes you feel ashamed for the a section of the human race

sell them off for a few pounds and give to the RNLI

Whenever there is a big music festival people leave behind hundreds of perfectly good tents, sleeping bags, and masses of other items. They just can’t be bothered to pack them up and take them home.
I don’t know if they are re-purposed, or just dumped in landfill.

This has only been happening in recent years.
We used to live near the coast and I can't remember as much as a sweet wrapper being left at the end of a day on the beach by anyone.

Thinking of all the people who can't pay rent, lost jobs all due to Covid and then there are the selfish, spoiled and lazy ones who must have whatever they want with obviously money to waste. I live in a reasonably affluent area, mainly young families where I see this selfish attitude nearly every day. Parents of 30/40 years of age indulging themselves and then their children. We are not turning into a lazy nation, we are one already.

Latest discovery on every one else to clear up. Mobile homes that have toilets onboard but the users too mean to pay to get on a camping site where there are waste emptying facilities are using drains at side of roads to empty their effluent onto. Disgusting for locals and don't get me started on all the litter and muck left in laybys.