Why....and what do we do about it?

[Scully]

Stuck in traffic at road works on A66 and didn't do more than 15 mile an hour for around a couple of miles, and was astonished at the amount of litter strewn into our hedgerows. Hadn't realised it was so bad!

Not only was the ( at least)  three foot high hedgerow itself covered in those plastic expandable tubes they put on saplings to prevent rabbits barking them, but without exaggeration I doubt you could take more than a couple of steps without encountering a plastic bottle, a styrofoam container, an aluminium drinks can and all manner of junk. Crisp packets, fag packets, drinks cartons; absolutely amazing at the amount of litter. Why? What is wrong with some people and why do they do this ?  There are some places where some vehicle has obviously pulled into a lay-by, and instead of walking to the bin provided, the litterer has just obviously emptied their vehicle and piled it all in a heap next to a fence. There is even some of that blue and white police tape littering a hedge and hanging from a tree, left there since the police marked the scene of a fatality at least two months ago!

It's ok saying that we should get the unemployed or borstal inmates to pick it up ( I have actually seen some juveniles doing this under supervision near Penrith ) but unless it's on a dual carriageway it means coning off one lane, and then we'd be complaining about that. What do other countries do about this? 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Unfortunately it is everywhere and following strong winds it will all have collected in the hedges.

The countryside is used as a disposal area by those people that just drop stuff and never have to deal with it.

[Jaymo]

On the Autoroutes in France ( toll roads), they have reg coming off overnight for cleaning up - know this as my weekly commute was at 3 in the morn.

But thinking about it, even comparing non toll roads. I have been in Netherlands, Germany, France and Norway this week and the level of litter adorning thecroadsides is considerably less— guess it’s the UK’s “don’t five s monkies as someone else will clear it up” attitude- or have I got it wrong?

[Lord Geordie]

You can always start a community group that volunteer to go out as a group and collect the litter. But I warn you, the litter YOU collect then becomes YOUR responsibility! So therefor you need a way of disposing of said litter. The only feasible way is to collect it, then take it to a local waste tip in a car boot! Take a can and you get charged. Or perhaps if you need to pay, contact local businesses and ask if they would offer to fund your group in return for advertising on your high vis vests etc? Such as "sponsored by @@@@@@" add your company logo there. 

[Yellow Bear]

Can't have anyone but paid operatives doing this work - unions get upset and complain it is putting people out of work

(have seen this stated a couple of times in the past before the naysayers start)

[Blackpowder]

Dont know if its still going on but two council litter picker workers followed the route taken by secondary school children from school to bakers and take aways in town.  What kind of message is that sending?   Better they had acted as wardens making depositers of litter pick it up or face fines.

 

Blackpowder

[Mice!]

we get community service folk in their orange jump suits doing litter picking near us, but i doubt there would be any chance on a dual carriage way because as you say they would have to cone it off. 

seen what happens when they cone off the A590 to barrow just to cut the grass it backs up onto the motorway.

it really is obvious when you visit some places and there is a complete lack of litter, as it should be. Seen a lot of places get rid of bins as well saying take your litter home, people often see full bins and simply dump there rubbish on the floor, not how i was brought up.

[sierra 11]

I understand that moves are afoot to severely restrict or ban some plastic food use related items, so that's a start at least. I'm surprised that with modern technology it's not possible to make all paper/cardboard wrapping/containers quickly dissolvable  once wet. I don't mean instantly dissolvable obviously, say the compound starts to breakdown one hour after being wetted by any liquid, then take- away drinks containers etc: would degrade quickly. There is a brand of toilet paper available in Yacht chandlers and I believe camping/caravan supplies shops which does just that' it turns to 'mush' and quickly disappears without blocking drainage systems on boats or caravans.

Ideally people shouldn't litter the countryside anyway but we all know there are morons who would, even if you made it a capital offence, so science should step in, and the big suppliers made to use the the products. 

[Lloyd90]

Rather than worrying about getting people to pick it up, I think they need to focus on stopping people dropping it! 

There are signs up in Wales - “Drop Litter? Pick up a fine!” 

They need to spend more time and resources enforcing it. They’ve got the number plates of the culprits. These are public areas so no problem with CCTV. 

This is something that annoys me, 90% of them are just lazy *******! 

[old man]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

Stuck in traffic at road works on A66 and didn't do more than 15 mile an hour for around a couple of miles, and was astonished at the amount of litter strewn into our hedgerows. Hadn't realised it was so bad!

Not only was the ( at least)  three foot high hedgerow itself covered in those plastic expandable tubes they put on saplings to prevent rabbits barking them, but without exaggeration I doubt you could take more than a couple of steps without encountering a plastic bottle, a styrofoam container, an aluminium drinks can and all manner of junk. Crisp packets, fag packets, drinks cartons; absolutely amazing at the amount of litter. Why? What is wrong with some people and why do they do this ?  There are some places where some vehicle has obviously pulled into a lay-by, and instead of walking to the bin provided, the litterer has just obviously emptied their vehicle and piled it all in a heap next to a fence. There is even some of that blue and white police tape littering a hedge and hanging from a tree, left there since the police marked the scene of a fatality at least two months ago!

It's ok saying that we should get the unemployed or borstal inmates to pick it up ( I have actually seen some juveniles doing this under supervision near Penrith ) but unless it's on a dual carriageway it means coning off one lane, and then we'd be complaining about that. What do other countries do about this? 

Probably give the litterers 20 lashes? ?

[JohnfromUK]

1 hour ago, Yellow Bear said:

Can't have anyone but paid operatives doing this work - unions get upset and complain it is putting people out of work

(have seen this stated a couple of times in the past before the naysayers start)

Years ago the council stopped mowing the verges in the village.  My father started mowing a stretch between the house and the farm (about 300 yards) as he took the mower to do the farm grass.  Someone then complained to the council who cane round and told him not to do it.  Didn't stop him though, I think he told them either they did it or he did it.

I still cut the verges around my house and pick up the litter, but it is bad in the hedgerows round here as well.

[Vince Green]

1 hour ago, Yellow Bear said:

Can't have anyone but paid operatives doing this work - unions get upset and complain it is putting people out of work

(have seen this stated a couple of times in the past before the naysayers start)

You would probably get nicked for stealing the rubbish ! 

[Dougy]

Watched someone throw some rubbish out of their window. Ran out and chucked it back in, and asked nicely that he used a bin. (Kind of)

I laughed my pants off as I drove off, while seeing him brushing off the remains of a McDonald's off his lap and passengers seat. 

[steve_b_wales]

We have a small by-pass road near to where I Iive. Every morning, there are Mc Donalds & KFC boxes etc strewn on the grass verges. These establishments are about a mile away, and you can just about work it out - by a meal, eat it when driving/passenger and dump it on the road. This is obviously done at night. Not sure how this can be stopped though.

[Yellow Bear]

2 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

We have a small by-pass road near to where Iive. Every morning, there are Mc Donalds & KFC boxes etc strewn on the grass verges. These establishments are about a mile away, and you can just about work it out - by a meal, eat it when driving/passenger and dump it on the road. This is obviously done at night. Not sure how this can be stopped though.

As the stuff is branded it should be possible to bill the supplier - The government (of all colours) seem to be able to insist on portion sizes and everything else so why noit charge for cleanup - it would soon stop.

[Hamster]

3 hours ago, Scully said:

Stuck in traffic at road works on A66 and didn't do more than 15 mile an hour for around a couple of miles, and was astonished at the amount of litter strewn into our hedgerows. Hadn't realised it was so bad!

Not only was the ( at least)  three foot high hedgerow itself covered in those plastic expandable tubes they put on saplings to prevent rabbits barking them, but without exaggeration I doubt you could take more than a couple of steps without encountering a plastic bottle, a styrofoam container, an aluminium drinks can and all manner of junk. Crisp packets, fag packets, drinks cartons; absolutely amazing at the amount of litter. Why? What is wrong with some people and why do they do this ?  There are some places where some vehicle has obviously pulled into a lay-by, and instead of walking to the bin provided, the litterer has just obviously emptied their vehicle and piled it all in a heap next to a fence. There is even some of that blue and white police tape littering a hedge and hanging from a tree, left there since the police marked the scene of a fatality at least two months ago!

It's ok saying that we should get the unemployed or borstal inmates to pick it up ( I have actually seen some juveniles doing this under supervision near Penrith ) but unless it's on a dual carriageway it means coning off one lane, and then we'd be complaining about that. What do other countries do about this? 

One of my pet hates, littering the countryside or anywhere for that matter is detestable. 

[Vince Green]

2 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

We have a small by-pass road near to where I Iive. Every morning, there are Mc Donalds & KFC boxes etc strewn on the grass verges. These establishments are about a mile away, and you can just about work it out - by a meal, eat it when driving/passenger and dump it on the road. This is obviously done at night. Not sure how this can be stopped though.

Used to live on a fairly busy road and virtually all of the litter we got in our front garden came from fast food or sweets.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Would be possible to bill the fast food restaurants for their customers poor litter habits?

[old man]

Nope. The blighters who dumped it, yes?

[KB1]

Imagine if some of that countryside rubbish had a primer, propellant and lead in it

Sorry I couldn't resist

[henry d]

I picked up 3/4 of a bucket of rubbish from a beach in just quarter of a mile and I have been recycling lots of glass that I have found on beaches local and foreign and it is truly disgusting the amount of rubbish the human race deems fit to leave to someone else to deal with.

[stumfelter]

The problem and the cure is down to attitude. Youngsters are bought up in a throwaway society so that is what they do. 

[Scully]

2 hours ago, Dougy said:

Watched someone throw some rubbish out of their window. Ran out and chucked it back in, and asked nicely that he used a bin. (Kind of)

I laughed my pants off as I drove off, while seeing him brushing off the remains of a McDonald's off his lap and passengers seat. 

I alerted a driver about the rubbish his young passenger had chucked from a stationary vehicle last year while in the Lakes; he wasn't best pleased but did get out to collect it. 

Once while on site and sat in a car park having a bite to eat with a former boss when we saw a bloke empty his ashtray out of his van window. The boss got a shovel, walked over to the van, scooped up the fag ends and while the bloke watched, opened his door and threw in the fag ends and walked away. I bought him a drink on the way home. 

[Dougy]

Just now, Scully said:

I alerted a driver about the rubbish his young passenger had chucked from a stationary vehicle last year while in the Lakes; he wasn't best pleased but did get out to collect it. 

Once while on site and sat in a car park having a bite to eat with a former boss when we saw a bloke empty his ashtray out of his van window. The boss got a shovel, walked over to the van, scooped up the fag ends and while the bloke watched, opened his door and threw in the fag ends and walked away. I bought him a drink on the way home. 

Bang on 

[Scully]

3 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

We have a small by-pass road near to where I Iive. Every morning, there are Mc Donalds & KFC boxes etc strewn on the grass verges. These establishments are about a mile away, and you can just about work it out - by a meal, eat it when driving/passenger and dump it on the road. This is obviously done at night. Not sure how this can be stopped though.

I would say this happens mostly at night too, and I also don't see see how it can be stopped, but I genuinely believe it stems from a persons upbringing. Even as a kid when out with mates, I would pull them up if one deliberately littered. It's just not something most of us did, and my kids don't litter either.