Litter in the parks

As the old adage goes - leave nothing behind but footprints - unfortunately the modern generation clearly don't give a toss about the environment. I never leave litter behind - if there is no convenient bin then I carry it with me until I find one, or take it home if I don't. Disgusting people leaving their mess for someone else to clear up! There is NO excuse for littering!

When I was a child we were taught to throw litter out in the nearest public bin or take it home with us.

Parents, school-friends' parents, teachers, scout masters and girl guides leaders all made quite sure that children knew not to be what was called litter-bugs!

You could once lockdown is over start organising some "Tidy up our area" days, where volunteers pick up litter. Nothing else will work.

All this talk about “freedom loving brits” needs to be ditched where litter is concerned and a draconian regime of hefty fines / community service / name and shame brought in. We have to wake up to there are many in our midst who are lazy and don’t give a toss.

my friend was saying that the lockdown has brought out the best in some people, helping out etc, sorry but i havent seen that, only a lot of selfish , im alright jack attitude, seeing the pics of crowds out and about majority are young people, not a good advert for the next generation

I literally boil over with anger at this. There is a small recreation ground near me where we walk the dog. Since we moved here 5 years back every week (health permitting) I go around litter picking to try and make the environment pleasenter as the council only seems to do the main thoroughfares. It looks great afterwards and people have sropped to thank me but it is so disheartening a few days later to see it is littered again. A group from around the Borough are now trying to get together to tackle one area at a time and have regular litter picks. From a small child I was taught not to drop any litter. If I've seen someone dropping litter I have politely asked them to pick it up and sometimes the abuse I have got is frightening whereas some people meekly pick it up and say sorry.x

I’ve heard that, although pubs are opening up outside there won’t be access to toilets, so dread to think what the result of that will be.

Let's get really gross, bet the toilets were locked, so where were all those people relieving themselves? Pity poor sods who have to clean that up

The litter on the verges of main roads is also very unsightly, and clearing truckloads of it regularly round here must be an unnecessary cost to the council.

I saw recently that a camera, similar to speed cameras, is being trialled on some routes, that can spot & record offending motorists discarding litter as small as a cigarette butt, and offenders will then be fined.

Years ago I sat on a bench next to a woman who opened a packet of cigarettes. Instead of putting the cellophane in the bin to her right she made a point of turning to her left and throwing it the other side of her.

Remember seeing a couple of youths drop a chocolate wrapper or similar outside Woolworths, (this was a while ago!)

I said to them “I hope you’re going to pick that up!”

A friend who worked in Woolies was nearby. She said “Oh Calendar, don’t get involved!”

They gave me a look, smirked, but picked it up! I said ‘Thank you”.

Quite agree with all the 'disgusted' responses.

Anyone remember the original' Keep Britain Tidy!' campaigns? We need those again, I think.
And if we fined people like the authorities do in Germany that might help to limit the mess, too.

It would also be good to have many more rubbish bins provided in public spaces. Easier for the volunteers OR paid workers to manage the rubbish.
And introduce the idea of what 'good citizenship' means in the curriculum like they do in some parts of America. Not that that always produces results - but it wouldn't do any harm.....

Well just after I posted I went down to my local M&S and Aldi to shop for a few bits.As expected it was busy and so I parked on the next road and walked round. The grass verge was covered in McDonald's debris-its just down the road- so after shopping on went the gloves again and another bag got filled and put in the bin a few feet away.I despair. As do so many of us !I'm going to email the local McDonald's and head office.Much good that will do .But they need to do more to bang the message home to their customers.

A lady asked on our local Facebook page if anyone was free to help her on a litter pick and I was incensed by the number of "why should I " responses she got.

We have have had this in Bushy park for years whenever there is a lovely sunny bank holiday. I never can understand why people carry picnics into the park and then leave the rubbish behind instead of taking it home. When the bins are overflowing they place it on the ground next to the bin! Result is that the deer try out this interesting looking stuff and fall ill.

I live at the back of a Country Park and people come along the path and horrors of horrors hang used nappies on my hedge! Yes, honestly. Words fail me they really do. I was walking past Asda the other day and a very rough looking youth had a huge dog on a lead and it bent down and did the biggest number two you have ever seen and the youth just walked off. I nearly challenged him as people were shaking their heads seeing him just carry on walking but he was so rough looking I thought I had better leave it and felt weak after to be honest.

Out for a walk the other day and man eating pastie and just threw the paper wrapping in the hedge, again so rough looking I didn't say anything. They just don't care about the countryside or anything outside of their box. Grrrrr....

Particularly loving your comments Washerwoman gransruleok and Pudding123. I think it’s time we all manned/womaned-up and approached the litter-droppers; politely. Sadly there would no doubt be some abuse but many offenders just don’t realise that they are offending.
However, I do fear that the teams of litter-pickers are often being counter-productive, particularly when they are seen to be laughing and joking and seemingly having a good time. A significant number of litter-droppers don’t realise they are volunteers, particularly if they are professionally kitted out with high visibility waistcoats, grabbers and bags. I’ve even heard that many think they are actually helping to provide employment for litter-pickers, whether volunteers or paid employees. Surely cutting out the need for a little-picking economy and all its attendant services is something that needs to be addressed …..

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. ???

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

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.

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.

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.

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!?

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.

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

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