Litter Pickers and Litter Louts

We are forced to accept that some just don't care, Sarnia!

What causes this apathy towards dirt and grime ? Is it ignorance, or lack of respect for what is not a personal possession?

I am one of your contemporary litter pickers. My 'patch' is a lovely country lane used by many motorists as a rat-run to avoid the busy main road. Our litter louts are car drivers who chuck drinks cans, takeaway detritus, face masks, crisp and sweets packaging and cigarette ends onto the grass verges. How would you police that? These people couldn't care less about the environment and will leave their rubbish where it suits them. Dog walkers can be just as bad leaving poo bags hanging from tree branches. I litter pick for 2 reasons. At 73 and with considerable spinal facet damage following a train crash years ago, it keeps me moving and I like to see our lovely countryside litter free. I don't get cross anymore. I have to accept there are those amongst us who just don't care.

When I walk into town to shop, I always try and pick up the odd can or bottle I see on the ground. The other day I picked up two very new looking disposable face masks. The secondary school children were walking to school, and I bet they had fallen out of pockets or school bags.

DH tuts at me picking stuff up, he thinks I shouldn’t be doing it with Covid concerns. He wouldn’t have picked stuff up before though.

The staff at a nearby drive through McDonalds organised a litter pick here a few weeks ago.

A big dual carriageway on an embankment goes through our parish and there is a footpath along the bottom of the embankment, the amount of litter to be seen caught in the trees and brambles growing on the embankment is unbelievable. All has been chucked out of car/van/lorry windows by passing drivers.

Like others, I do not think they give even a passing thought to whether the litter will be picked up or not.

When out dog walking be it City or country I pick up litter.
I cannot understand my neighbours who will come and go and ignore litter by their homes.

I also believe that the litterers don't think of the wombles when they drop litter. I believe they don't think or care at all.

And can I add it's not just youngsters who drop litter.

I'm a womble in my seaside town. I really don't see how wombles 'encourage' litterers. Businesses who create the rubbish in the first place encourage the litterers.

A disproportionate amount of the litter I pick up comes from three sources...McDonalds, Coke/Pepsi/Lucozade, Costa. How about we fine them for producing the rubbish in the first place?

I pick up so much rubbish branded McDonalds that I wrote to them asking them to help in some way by reducing the litter they produce. Their answer was that they can't be responsible for what their customers do. Helpful.

There’s a litter picking group in my village. I too have helped them a couple of times. No amount of fines, if you can even catch the culprits throwing litter from their cars, is going to stop this anti social behaviour.
I’d rather be part of my local village volunteers than suffer the detritus the irresponsible louts leave behind for us. We never ever see the local District Council doing anything about it in our rural setting.

I saw that on Countryfile too and asked myself the same question. Eldest daughter, a secondary school teacher, told me some time ago, she told a pupil to pick up some paper she had dropped. The girl replied "What - and do my Mum out of a job?"
Her Mum was a school cleaner.

I agree with Amberone it would be difficult to police. I often find that on bin day rubbish can be spread around if it’s a windy day. The refuse people do a great job already but some may spill out.
I was dog walking along the Pembrokeshire coast on New Years Day and collected lots of discarded bottles and cans from a picnic area that had bins nearby. I think it’s become normal place, whereas when I was a child and young adult I would be furious if I saw a person dropping litter. We’re in a throw away culture ?

I understand what you are saying but not sure how you think it can be achieved. It's true in a city it may be possible to have 'litter police' of some description but in rural areas it's not really possible.

Even in out village it would take four or five people constantly on the lookout for the best part of the day to catch even a few litter louts. Although the schools and petrol station might be an easy target.

But apart from any thing else a lot of our litter is thrown from passing cars on the main road through the village - cans, crisp packets, sandwich packets, chocolate wrappers...