Keep Britain Tidy - pick up your litter

There was a mass removal of rubbish bins at the time of the IRA bombings. I suspect that many were not replaced.

Going back a few years someone dumped a couple of black bags of litter in the alley behind my NDNs house. It was bin day and they could easily have put them in their own bin for collection. Instead my cctv showed the lazy husband of my NDN pushing them onto my lawn with a garden rake. I have no doubt it was at the suggestion of his nagging bullying wife. I put a sheet of paper with the thumb nails on it through their door. A message on the back warned them that the pictures would be sent to the police if not cleared up in 24 hours.

My cameras showed him clearing it up at 6.15 am next morning. Would love to have seen his stupid face when he saw that paper. What a dumb thing to do when you know your neighbour has cctv!

I think it is a real problem in the UK. Really noticeable when you visit the country and quite disgusting. The only other place like it that I know about is the Solomon Islands but they have the excuse of not having reliable rubbish collections.

Callistemon21

I agree Dinahmo

It is more and more depressing to see even beauty spots littered with rubbish.
Will those who litter listen, though?

The other problem is that recycling large items costs quite a bit now and some disreputable firms which will collect and take away these items then dump them in woods, in farmers' fields etc.

It's not as bad now, at least as far as our council goes. It used to be very expensive to get them to collect stuff for the dump, but they have really lowered their prices these days.

I remember a few years ago, my DD came and told me my DS had been told off by the lady in our corner shop. On asking why, she said for dropping litter on the ground.
When I went into the shop later in the day, not to complain, the lady pulled me aside and asked if I'd been told? Oh yes, by both DC, & I had also told DS off as not only did the shop have a bin outside but that numpty was standing right next to it when he dropped the wrapper from the sweets he had just bought in the shop!
I told her she was right to have a go at him and told her if she saw it happen again, with any of my DC, she was free to have a go & make them pick it up!
There was absolutely no excuse for it. Especially because whenever we were all out together we would put our rubbish in bins, in a bag we had with us or in our pockets until we got to a bin to dispose of it, it didn't take much doing!
Nowadays, I'm proud that my DC AND DGC use bins or pockets for rubbish (usually my pockets if I'm with them).

Ali08

Callistemon21

I agree Dinahmo

It is more and more depressing to see even beauty spots littered with rubbish.
Will those who litter listen, though?

The other problem is that recycling large items costs quite a bit now and some disreputable firms which will collect and take away these items then dump them in woods, in farmers' fields etc.

It's not as bad now, at least as far as our council goes. It used to be very expensive to get them to collect stuff for the dump, but they have really lowered their prices these days.

It's not as bad now, at least as far as our council goes. It used to be very expensive to get them to collect stuff for the dump, but they have really lowered their prices these days.

Ours have made it more difficult and more expensive.

You could at one time take things to the local dump between certain hours in the day.

Now, you have to call first and arrange a time.

And that has resulted in more fly-tipping. I don't approve of it, obviously - but I think it was an inevitable outcome.

The more complex, difficult and expensive councils make it to get rid of household appliances and other items, the less people will bother.

I blame the parents!

When we lived in Brixton in the 80's our rubbish was collected once a week. Our neighbours on one side (3 young males) used to put their rubbish out after the collection which meant the local cats and dogs ripped the sacks apart. They also used to throw beer bottles out of the windows at night. On one occasion they tried to burn the debris in the back garden, including bottles and cans and a foam backed carpet which brought on an asthma attack.

These young men were medical students at first, later replaced as they moved up the ladder by trainee estate agents, accountants and solicitors. I suspect that they had not had tasks to do when they lived at home with their parents and that they felt entitled to do as they wished.

Apart from not dealing with rubbish they would also play music very loudly. One morning at around 6.00am I could no longer stand it and went round to complain. They had absolutely no idea.

There seems to be litter everywhere these days. I bought a litter picker so I can keep outside on the pavement tidy, my husband keeps the kerb tidy too by removing weeds. Whilst the majority in our road do the same unfortunately there are a few that couldn't care less and will walk over litter rather than pick it up.

I have, just this morning, hand delivered letters to 4 neighbours who all use the lane we live on. We are by far the longest people down here.

It’s a very old, pretty lane when it was looked after. It has become an eyesore in recent years. Whereas people used to leave their wheely bins in their courtyard gardens they now dump them out in the lane. They get emptied but the bin men just leave them all over the lane and if we don’t push them over to one side then we can’t drive past them. People left out an old microwave and a fryer of some sort. Of course the bin men don’t take those so they sat out there for weeks. In the end we took them to the dump. This week one of them has thrown out an old electric heater!

We fill in any potholes, we plant bulbs for the spring and we usually get the bank strimmed. I guess they all think a little fairy does it.

I wrote a very polite letter saying older photos show a pretty lane used by lots of people and asking whether we might get it back to how it was. I await their replies. 😉

As Tiley says, some people couldn’t care less.

Primrose53

As Tiley says, some people couldn’t care less.

In a nutshell that's exactly it. They do-not-care one iota.

... it would be interesting to hear back from you on the replies you get from your neighbours?

If you don't get a response - it'll be down to you then to keep the lane looking nice

It's shameful. What I find infuriating is all this talk about the environment, net zero etc and we can't even pick up our own rubbish. Last time I asked a litter dropper ( an adult male) to pick up the crisp bag he had thrown on the pavement I was firmly put in my place. I was the culprit.

Volunteers are regularly picking up rubbish round our lanes which thoughtless people just lob out of the car window. It can be harmful to wildlife too. Don’t they have dustbins at home?
Dh reckons fast food outlets should pay for regular pick uppers.

A few years ago, I was walking along the pavement of Shaftesbury Avenue, just up from Piccadilly Circus, when - from the front passenger's window of a large car which had just overtaken me in the slow moving traffic - was tossed a bulging McDonalds take-away bag. Red traffic lights then caused the traffic to stop a few yards further on. Astounded at such a blatant, provocative, act of littering, I picked up the bag containing the remnants of several fast food meals, caught up with the car and knocked on the same window, noting as I did that it was darkened - as were all of the side windows. After a short pause, the window lowered - to reveal four young black men, all dressed in various permutations of 'gangsta' kit, staring at me. Gulp! I stared back for a second, then pushed the bag through the window, saying "You dropped this a few yards back". Silence. They stared at me; I stared back. Then the cars ahead started moving. "Sorry", said the recipient of the bag; up hummed the window, and off went the car.
I like to think I'd do the same again tomorrow if need be.

Who are these people who drop litter and dump waste? Nobody I know of would admit to being a litter lout or a fly tipper but they clearly exist, the evidence is there for all to see.

I wonder if measures to keep Britain clean are set out in any political party's manifesto?

We're lucky enough to live down a country lane in the Lake District, there's someone (obviously local) who carefully picks up their dog's poo, bags it and then hangs it in the hedge

Some individuals just don't appear. to have pride in their. surroundings and the. wider environment do they?

As children my AC were brought up to not drop litter and they too have instilled this in their own children. Both DGC that drive have a bag or bin in their cars for litter and neither would dream of throwing it out of the window whilst driving.

The only thing I ever throw away is an apple core - back to nature - something will feed on the left overs and the seeds might germinate but I wouldn't do that in the town centre, carpark or the like, it has to be in a suitable location.

A friend and her husband visited Jersey last weekend and said it was so gorgeous and clean. Hardly any litter and the public toilets were pristine. Then they flew back to Liverpool … her heart sank. “When did we become THIS?” she wailed. The comparison was stark apparently.

It’s all so very sad because it really doesn’t have to be like this but very few even care.

I think you are right that many just don't care. We often hear with certain issues that " there are more important things to worry about". Nothing will change as long as that attitude persists. It does reflect badly on us.

Our village lanes are as bad, and most mornings when walking my dog I'm pickup up litter along the way.

This morning I collected a beer bottle, cider can, along with bits and pieces as we wandered along. Other neighbours also do similar, but it's frustrating to see so much rubbish carelessly dumped on our pavements.

We have a regular group of dog walkers who keep our streets and beaches clean.

Each time I go to and return from local shops I pick up cans and plastic bottles and put them into a carrier bag. I put them into my recycling bin.

I have no idea why people would just drop them onto the ground [duh!] or throw them out of car windows. Their intelligence must be low, their sense of entitlement high and social consciences nil.

But I don't want to live in a pig hole so I will do my bit.

Driving through a village on Saturday we had to move to thecentre of the road because of a group of children and adults on either side. As we approached we assumed that they were out for a group walk and wondered why they weren't all on the same side of the road. Answer - they were carrying bin liners and picking up litter.

I remember my grandma washing her front step every morning and picking up any bits of litter nearby.