Litter in the parks

I know someone whose garden backs onto the canal. She was off work one day and saw her neighbour go to the top of their garden and tip all her rubbish into the canal. This despite having four wheelie bins for waste.

It's hard to find the words to say how disgusted I feel about this.
It's impossible to understand these people. I feel ashamed of them.

Litter picking during the school day was a form of punishment for pupils at my previous school when they were given a detention but were unable to stay after school finished due to the school buses. This applied to all years from first formers to the upper sixth with no exceptions. Of course, that was 50 years ago, enforce a similar regime now and parents would soon be complaining on the grounds of human rights!
It seems we are overcome in society by inconsiderate, ill mannered, disrespectful snowflakes!

I find it really upsetting that people are getting so selfish. We seem to have become a nation of 'entitled'. I'm very glad that I'm as old as I am and don't have much longer on this planet. Some people have very good values and are lovely, but sadly I think they're outnumbered. We can't complain about anyone for fear of being called racist or sexist or anything else-ist so no-one is called to account. I'd like to see the litter left in the parks for a few days, as no-one will then want to visit them for a picnic when they see what they themselves have allowed to happen.

I wonder what would happen if we left all the litter in place for a month. Where would the litter louts go to play? Would they sit in the middle of it and add to it? Would they wade knee deep through it complaining that the council hadn’t done the job?
Would they learn a lesson from it?
Something has gone badly wrong in our society when people no longer respect each other or their environment.

Crossed posts Georgia, thinking along the same lines.

We live by the river and there has been litter floating by for the past couple of days which doesn't happen that often.

This drives me nuts, lazy, inconsiderate bloomin people! Put the litter in the bags they brought their snacks in, not hard. I walked behind young boys eating sweets & they were dropping every wrapper as they went along. I was scared to say anything cos you now get a mouthful of abuse from them. Don't get me started on dog poo and I've a dog, but I always have bags with me to pick it up.

When I lived in Dawlish 20 years ago I used to go out on the beach in the morning and pick up litter. A lot of it was plastic bottles. If the tide takes them out, whales and other marine life think they are jellyfish and eat them. I haven't been back to Dawlish for a long time, so I don't know what state the beach is in now. Like most beaches it is probably full of rubbish thrown away by louts who would complain if they found it like that when they next want a day at the beach.

I tend to the 'leave it there for a month' way of thinking, though it would be very unfair on the people who live locally and those who don't leave litter. Not to mention the adverse effect on the wildlife.

But would it actually sink into the minds of the litterers that they're making the mess and they need to do something about it?

I think it starts from home. You only have to look at the rubbish in some people's gardens.
We visit Florida regularly and always notice how clean the roadsides are. The 'truck' drivers nearly all take a pride in their vehicle and one told me he keeps a box in his cab for rubbish which he empties into a bin when he stops. Coming home we immediately notice all the rubbish along the roadside.

I once asked a little girl (pre-school but able to understand) not to drop her sweet wrappers on the ground. Her mother stopped chatting with others and came over and started shoulding at me for telling her child what to do, obviously it would never have occurred to her to ask the child not to do it.
I have a season ticket to a local private park and every day I pick up the cardboard ring that is the holder for a coffee cup, always around the same area. I'm guessing that it belongs to one of the gardeners or a regular visitor and can't believe how little they appreciate the lovely space.

sorry, mistype "shouting" not shoulding...

It was really shocking to see all the litter left behind by people enjoying the good weather. Have they no pride in their country? All they need to do is pop it into a bag and take it home for disposal.
As for all the crowds and no social distancing - words fail me!

'Take only photographs, leave only footprints' this needs to be put on large banners all over parks and beaches!

No litter, no barbeques, no fires. Too cold today, and hopefully at the weekend.

A 'Blackthorn winter!!

A tv ad campaign showing a clean street and a clean park, people walking through dropping litter and day by day it builds until people are up to their knees in it and rats are running alongside the children.
The same for beach scenes showing the tide coming in and out and the beaches filling with dead sea life and the plastic rubbish washing up again.

Some years ago whilst in Geneva I noticed a couple fined on the spot for dropping a sweet paper in the street. Coming back to UK after being in Switzerland and Austria I was appalled at the littered streets.
As for chewing gum I am lost for words.

So much for taking notice of Greta what happened to all the save the planet marches last year

I’m afraid many of the younger generation seem to have a sense of entitlement which makes them think rules don’t apply to them or they have been mollycoddled and had everything done for them so assume ‘someone else’ will do it!!
Maybe not just the younger generation though from what I’ve seen!!

Around here I’m afraid that it is older people congregating at lunchtime, drinking and leaving litter. Utterly depressing.

I suspect LauraNorder (were you in the police force?) that they’d take to social media decrying the council for not clearing up!! Results of nanny state sadly!!

I am lost for words for these selfish people who have no thought for anybody or anything else except their own satisfaction.

There is no excuse - there’s plenty of education and information about not littering, and taking your rubbish home, but it falls on the deaf ears of the minority.

This happened in one of our local parks this week and I was appalled at what was left behind. If they can cart wine and boxes of lager down there, why the hell can’t they cart the empties home? Most probably because by the time they go home, they are too drunk to stand up! What upset me most was that they defaced a much loved war memorial. The elderly chap that has made it almost his life’s work to look after it was in tears.

It’s a disgrace ?! I would like to say it’s the minority but seeing the pictures of our lovely parks and green areas I think not unfortunately. Why do these morons think they’re entitled to dump their rubbish and expect others to pick it up for them?! They obviously have no respect for others, our wonderful beaches/countryside or the wildlife. I feel so sad and demoralised by it all.

I have no time for litter louts whatever their age!

It is selfish, lazy and inconsiderate behaviour.