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Litter in the parks

(92 Posts)
Atqui Wed 31-Mar-21 18:42:34

I am so angry. I’ve just watched the news and seen photos of the litter left in parks by people taking advantage of the good weather. What is wrong with people? When does having no garden equate with having no dustbin at home? And as for social distancing.........

LucyLocket55 Thu 01-Apr-21 13:10:33

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.

nanna8 Thu 01-Apr-21 13:18:40

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.

Washerwoman Thu 01-Apr-21 13:21:47

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.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 01-Apr-21 13:22:21

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?

Lambangel Thu 01-Apr-21 13:32:28

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.

Bazza Thu 01-Apr-21 13:40:16

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!

polly123 Thu 01-Apr-21 13:45:51

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!!

Saetana Thu 01-Apr-21 13:46:03

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!

Whitewavemark2 Thu 01-Apr-21 13:51:06

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.

Washerwoman Thu 01-Apr-21 13:52:46

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.

gransruleok Thu 01-Apr-21 14:03:07

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.

Sarnia Thu 01-Apr-21 14:09:50

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.

Antonia Thu 01-Apr-21 14:14:49

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).

Rosina Thu 01-Apr-21 14:45:42

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.

Rosina Thu 01-Apr-21 14:52:06

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?

fitwell Thu 01-Apr-21 14:53:42

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?

b1zzle Thu 01-Apr-21 15:06:15

Maybe we could teach the next generation something if a class outing to the local park to litter pick were on the curriculum...

JaneJudge Thu 01-Apr-21 15:09:44

I live in a rural village and the littering is terrible sad people just drive past my house and throw rubbish out their car windows and I find empty spirits bottles in my hedge angry

Lizzie44 Thu 01-Apr-21 15:17:48

The "Keep Britain Tidy" campaign goes back to the 1950s. It was instilled into us from an early age that dropping litter was an absolute no-no. When did it become ok to ditch your litter wherever you want? It infuriates me. A local cricket ground near me was used by scores of people (largely teenagers and young people) last year and the amount of litter left behind was disgusting (bottles, cans, fast-food containers, wrappers). In the end the owners of the ground put up notices prohibiting picnicking and use of the ground, and threatening legal action. Before the issue of litter the owners were happy for people to sit around the edge of the cricket field. The litter louts spoiled it for everyone.

DiscoDancer1975 Thu 01-Apr-21 15:22:54

Don’t get me started on this?. I’m so sick of it. We must be up there with one of the dirtiest countries in the world!?

Bazza Thu 01-Apr-21 15:26:30

Spot on, Gransruleok! Great idea. We have an area near us favoured by fly tippers, but since a camera was installed there has been none. I honestly can’t understand the mind set of litterers or fly tippers.

Pudding123 Thu 01-Apr-21 15:36:57

It seems we are all indignant about the amount of litter being dropped and if we all think the same perhaps some sort of thing can be done...I was on my bus going to work about 15 years ago when a young girl got on and proceeded to eat a packet of crisps when she got off in front of me she tossed her empty packet on the pavement ,I was incensed ,picked it up and gave it back to her with a few words ,she took it off me and stuffed it in her pocket,I have no idea what she did with it after but it made me feel better.
I was telling my work colleague about this who said her husband had followed a neighbour who dropped his chip polystyrene box to his house and pushed it through his letter box..You never know if we all make a big enough fuss it may be like ,no seatbelts,smoking in the workplace which were all once commonplace but now unthinkable.

MayBee70 Thu 01-Apr-21 15:51:32

gransruleok

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.

I think they used a drone in the Peak District when people were breaking lockdown and had widespread criticism about people’s privacy/freedom etc. One of the parks in Nottingham where the partying took place is right next to a police station so these people don’t think things through. It was drummed into me as a child not to do bad things: I even go so far as to say it’s almost a fear of God sort of thing as I’m a great believer in hubris. Having said that I don’t know what the answer is, but it upsets me terribly.

Flakesdayout Thu 01-Apr-21 15:52:15

Yes it is disgusting. Many of us have been stuck in throughout this whole pandemic and these people could possibly be spoiling it by spreading their 'joy'. What is wrong with them. They obviously do not care about anyone but themselves. It makes me so angry too

Edith81 Thu 01-Apr-21 15:57:46

When I saw a picture of the litter I thought “here we go again”. Let’s see what the beaches are going to look like and the poor marine life has had a break during lockdown but now will it be more plastic bags and rubbish to swallow. I belong to Greenpeace and absolutely despair at how the most dangerous animals in the world behave-HUMAN BEINGS. ???