Geoff S Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 My wife and I have taken to going for a walk round the local field paths during the current pandemic most days. Fortunately we live on the edge of a village on a restricted byway which means we're straight onto field paths. We do, however have to walk along the route of a Roman road (Icknield Street) for about half a mile and this is a minor road with good footpath and wide grass verges. We've walked these paths for 40 years but never as frequently as now. We've taken to picking up litter and bringing home to dispose of and we've even bought some litter pickers so we don't have to handle the dross (some of it discarded face masks). Most of it is the detritus from fast food outlets, plastic bottles and fizzy drink cans - all of it thrown from passing cars presumably. There's almost no litter on the footpaths; the vast majority is on the short road section. I have had a dislike of litter from childhood and I simply cannot simply throw anything away but carry rubbish until I find a bin. I was well trained. Today, the council had cut the verges and exposed litter we'd not been able to see. We ended up filling two large plastic carrier bags and most of a big bin liner - all on that short half mile along a not particularly busy lane. The trouble was that the mower had chopped up the rubbish so that instead of one piece there were several. There was one good find. My wife found a pristine £10 note! so we got paid for our efforts for once I just don't understand why people do it (especially the tenner!). Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Posted by Geoff S on 09/09/2020 22:28:32: I have had a dislike of litter from childhood and I simply cannot simply throw anything away but carry rubbish until I find a bin. I was well trained. I was brought up the same way and I don't think I could physically bring myself to drop litter. Sadly, generations of feckless parents have encouraged this disgusting attitude and it will take a lot more than a "Keep Britain Tidy" campaign to undo the total lack of shame felt by those who litter with no thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 We do exactly the same. Beautiful country lane in sight of Corfe Castle in sunny Dorset. Our little lane is a magnet for fly tippers, with old toilets, sinks etc, ditched in a wooded section of the walk. Luckily, we have got a proactive Parish Council and a good on line reporting system. Its a bit of a rat run, where everything just gets chucked out. We detest litter to put it politely. Don't even mention Durdle Door which is just down the road from us. Forty tons of xxxx collected after the last bank holiday!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Southerton 1 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 My wife and I do a monthly litter pick in a nearby park for the local councillor (who always provides home made cake at the end). A guy I work with walks his dog in the same park and says a couple of days after we've cleared up, the park is trashed again. I blame the parents, as I've never known any of my children (aged from 15 to 26) to drop litter. In fact the wife regulaly moans when she finds the rubbish in trouser pockets when doing the washing. When McDonalds reopnened by us, they weren't allowed to use the car park, so drove to the local Tesco, ate their food and chucked the litter over the floor. Remember the keep Britain tidy adds in the 70's and 80's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Gorham_ Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 More power to your elbow Geoff! Hope you find a tenner every time you go out litter picking. Some hope... It's actually shocking to me how deliberate and blatant some people are when you catch them dropping litter. As if it's the normal thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Cooper Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Have you ever noticed how you get a mouthful of foul language and verbal abuse if you challenge someone for dropping litter....... like it's OUR fault that THEY are in the wrong..!! . . The women are the worst for this. We live in very strange times. Keep up the good work, Geoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I live beside a corner shop....the amount of stuff that the "customers" discard as they come out is nobody's business...it has an invisible bin outside also.....Mrs A gets annoyed but I tell her its really everywhere...a sign of the times we live in... ken anderson...ne...1.waste dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Some years ago I spent three weeks on a work course in a delightful little German town called Bad Nauheim. Both it and the neighbouring town Frieburg were 99.9% DEVOID OF LITTER! I have photos of the town and the level of cleanliness stands out. They even had lovely colourful parasols on the park benches that were left out over night and remained totally unmolested. Clearly a completely different mindset. Now, I'm sure that certain parts of Germany's inner cities are far from perfect as our are, but what I saw in their provincial towns that I visited, puts every single similar town here in the UK to shame. Interestingly, they also had cigarette vending machines everywhere, but not a dogend could be found on the floor or outside a pub. Not a blob of spat out chewing gum either. Compare that to your local watering hole here and the disgusting detritus that's to be found outside nearly all high street pubs and elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Wood Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 It boils the blood to see the litter everywhere - the selfish 'I'm alright Jack' attitude is getting worse. Fly tipping is getting bad too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Collinson Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I've never been but understand that Singapore hs no litter. Beats me why not .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Wingco Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I have a little Springer bitch who is a bit of a Womble, loves picking up litter. Last year she found a £20 note and brought it to hand. Good Girl, lots of fuss and treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Smith 14 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Don't pick litter up but my run around work car passenger side foot well is like a skip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Lea Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I once found a set of false teeth! Also found a nearly new bike, handed it in to the police and it was not claimed. My daughter now uses it so litter picking does pay. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Fisher Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 My wife does a litter pick every day in our street - two or three houses up and down from ours. Neither of us can understand why the louts don't use the nearby household bins and save us the job. A nearby ginnel used every day by children going to school is always littered as well as being used as a canine toilet presumably condoned by pet owners taking their dogs for a walk We are also unable to understand why people can manage to take full bottles and cans of drinks up a mountain or to any other remote beauty spot but seemingly don't have the strength to carry the empties away. Malcolm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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