Litter in the parks

My children were indoctrinated with not dropping litter from a very early age, they wouldn’t dare, and now my granddaughter, aged 4, is the same, but she also gets it from school. We have very strange conversations, she will say, nan look at this litter, they are very naughty to have dropped it, the police! Aren’t doing there jobs properly, shall we pick it up?

Sarnia I fear the attitude is the same in many countries. We have visited France and stayed in Paris at times over many years, and that lovely city has become filthy, smothered in graffiti and plagued with aggresssive beggars at night. In Rome a few years ago I was horrified at the amount of litter and dogs mess - and pushy beggars too. The cleanest city I have spent time in is Boston; New York was also pretty clean but in such a state of disrepair (pavements and roads) that perhaps their budget goes on litter picking. A sad reflection - how much could be spent on fixing potholes and putting flowers around in our cities if money didn't have to be spent on shifting rubbish and clearing chewing gum?

I rarely watch the news but did last night, and found the item about the parks and the litter both maddening and upsetting. The selfishness of some is unbelievable; we sat on a beach once and a noisy family with babies and a picnic actually got up and moved away to another part of the beach, leaving an indescribable mess, including used nappies. Presumably feeling that 'someone else' could clear that up. What would our life be like if people didn't clear up the mess left by these morons? A few weeks and we would be up to our necks in other people's filth. So depressing.

I was appalled at the photos of the litter. I agree completely that it begins at home and in school. But then I wondered if it was just me being old, and it reminded me of something I read a few years ago about the ancient Romans. Apparently it's recorded somewhere that the older people despaired of the young generation, who were ill mannered and lacking in respect. (I don't think litter was mentioned though).

LauraNorder

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.

It still won't register with those who couldn't care less. What tourists must think of our litter strewn country I have no idea.

Surely this calls for a drone with a camera; if notices were put at entrances to beaches, parks and other beauty spots warning of a drone patrol filming that just might deter the morons from just getting up and walking away from their rubbish.

Actually there are a lot of good youngsters who really do care about the environment and have been brought up to not litter. I'm sure most GNetters children and DGC wouldn't dream of doing its I've seen middle aged business men insuits chucking rubbish out of their very smart cars windows plenty of times.And fly tipping is endemic and often organised by those with vans but no scruples. The No Littering message needs to become a priority across all age groups before our country drowns in the stuff.

There are a few people in my area who I see when walking the dog, also walking their dogs, and at the same time picking up litter.

I thanked and congratulated the chap with a spaniel at how well the area looked. Clean and tidy.

It is annoying though. A group of young people had held a wake in the park for presumably one of their friends. No problem with that, but the mess they left behind??. It would still be there except for that chaps marvellous work.

I too deplore the supposed "save the environment" generation who happily left a ton of junk in our parks and beauty spots this week. Worst thing was, there was a load of large Sainsburys carrier bags which, presumably, they had used to carry their food/alcohol to the park. Why on earth did they not use these to put their rubbish in and take home with them? Especially considering a lot of them drove there! Lazy and selfish is far milder than what I would really like to say!

Are the offenders the same 'woke' folk who bang on about every 'ism' you can think of? Perhaps there should be an 'ism' for litter dropping. Chewing gum is another appalling thing to see on pavements and so expensive to remove. I suppose it just gets spat out. Maybe they should close parks etc but there would be more complaining and perhaps even more protests!!

Utterly horrified. My children and grandchildren would never leave litter, because that’s the way they’ve been bought up. I just can’t understand the mind set of these people. If you have carried it with you, why on earth can’t you carry the rubbish home? Don’t be a tosser!

We were always brought up not to drop litter, and I taught my 3 to do the same and I dont know why people don't care anymore leaving rubbish and throwing cans out of cars, on our walks not only do I just walk and pick up any doggy mess binning it correctly but also litter pick at the same time, as the weather gets better, the litter gets worse on verges never mind parks and countryside too, sad it wasn't like that before you arrived so please take it home.

It's awful, isn't it? When I was a child I was taught to put any rubbish in a bin when I was out, even if it was just a sweet wrapper. If there was no bin or it was overflowing we took our rubbish home with us. What is wrong with these people?

Well I will probably get punched one day but I always say something if I see littering.Polietly I usually shame people by asking if they would like me to put their litter in a bin for them and pick it up.I have done it for years.I posted someone's rubbish back through their open window when they lobbed it out then had to stop at a junction a few yards later.I have had the odd F word but surprisingly ,off people are just shocked to be caught out.As for shaming scruffy teenagers. Why not ? Our local woods have been ruined lately by litter and dirt bikes churning up the paths.Someone posted on FB saying how bad it was getting and could parents have a word.Our family was shocked at the outraged responses.Leave them alone,they need something to do (trashing a beauty spot and terrorizing wildlife?!)
I did once befriend a group of lads one summer who repeatedly brought beer cans and left them all in the stream.After numerous times of bagging up the rubbish I went to talk to them.Again was very friendly and polite but implored them to please pick up and use the bin near the wood entrance and how upsetting the litter was.Actually after that they did.And always shouted hello to me afterwards.Of course that's not always the case.But I won't give up.

Doesn’t happen that much here because we are a nation of dobbers . Not usually a good thing but in this instance it is. We have to in bushfire season to stop idiots chucking cigarettes around and it sort of spills over. Peer group pressure. I wouldn’t dare chuck litter around ( not that I would,anyway), you’d probably get physically assaulted or stabbed.

Littering at any age is disgusting. However, when you look at the photos, one thought i had was why don’t they have more bins? The rubbish bins are overflowing and people simply leave there rubbish next to it. If they had more bins there might be a chance that people would put their stuff actually in it - or not!

I know they could actually take their litter home (gasp) but if it is made a bit easier to bin rubbish it might encourage the litter louts to do so.

I have no time for litter louts whatever their age!

It is selfish, lazy and inconsiderate behaviour.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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

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!!

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

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.