Horrendous roadside litter - worse than ever before?

Horrendous roadside litter - worse than ever before?

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Discussion

Ray Luxury-Yacht

Original Poster:

8,910 posts

215 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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I've been riding / driving for over 25 years now. I'm used to seeing a bit of roadside litter over the years. I'm also used to often seeing the litter - picking teams out collecting it, from minor roads to motorways. The amount of litter always used to be quite small, and not something that you'd really notice.

However - recently it seems to have suddenly got worse. And I don't mean 'a bit worse' - I mean properly unacceptable!

I live on the South Coast, and I started noticing it around my local roads and my local section of motorway, towards the end of last year. There is definitely way more than I can ever remember.

Then last week I had to drive up to Newbury, up the A34. Well Jesus Christ, the A34 is an absolute disgrace, from Hampshire right up to Newbury. The amount of roadside and central reservation litter is so bad, it basically kept my attention for the entire journey!

Firstly - does anyone know why this might be? More local council cutbacks? Then again, aren't roads looked after by local councils, county councils and the Highways Agency depending upon what they are? The problem seems to be uniform, everywhere.

Anyone else noticed or am I just going mental?


Blakewater

4,303 posts

156 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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The "Driver Tizer" on Life in the Fast Lane was the worst thing. That and the tale about the guy strimming grass who hit a bag of human poo which splattered all over him. I've followed a van driver on the M6 eating his lunch and chucking sandwich packets, crisp bags, bottles and all sorts out of his window. I've seen a few uncovered loads spilling out of trucks as well. On the M61 going to university I saw a load of stuff come out of a skip lorry and land on the car behind.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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There is more litter everywhere not just at the road side. People just don't give a st anymore, a significant section of society will not think twice about throwing a whole families worth of McDonald's wrappers out of a car window.

Any park or public space is just as bad, especially in the summer. People manage to carry huge quantities of food and booze to the local park for a picnic or BBQ, but then somehow lose their ability to carry anything when it comes to taking the rubbish home, or even putting it in the nearest bin.


edit:
I used to live very close to the centre of the city in a bit of a poor or 'disadvantaged' area. Every week a team of 2/3 guys from the council would come and pick up the take-away litter on the street, quite a long road too (few hundred houses).... within a day it would be back looking like a tip again.

Then there is fly tipping. People tossing old tellies in the local canal and so on. Really is disgusting in some parts of this country.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Friday 27th February 20:56

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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I have never and never will think about littering. There's obviously a part of the brain that doesn't develop for most people

gtidriver

3,334 posts

186 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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On the Thanet Way A299 the other week there was a three piece suite complete with scatter cushions on the verges over a few miles.

sc0tt

18,032 posts

200 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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What colour?

Spare tyre

9,458 posts

129 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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They've been cutting down a lot of bushes and digging a lot of ditches along the a34 lately, wonder if it's unearthed a lot?

AlexRS2782

8,023 posts

212 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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VolvoT5 said:
There is more litter everywhere not just at the road side. People just don't give a st anymore, a significant section of society will not think twice about throwing a whole families worth of McDonald's wrappers out of a car window.

Any park or public space is just as bad, especially in the summer. People manage to carry huge quantities of food and booze to the local park for a picnic or BBQ, but then somehow lose their ability to carry anything when it comes to taking the rubbish home, or even putting it in the nearest bin.
If you see them throw it out, just give it back to them hehe In the local Tesco car park this afternoon 3 late teens lads in a scened Polo threw their McD's & KFC bags against the driver side door of a blue Corolla parked 2 cars on from them and started having a good laugh banghead

The best part was watching the gent in his mid 70's, who owned the Corolla, get out of his car and return (more like hurl) the crap back through the passenger side front window of the Polo giving them a big shock and a covering of cola / milkshake at the same time biggrin

R_U_LOCAL

2,676 posts

207 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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R_U_LOCAL said:
The last one. biggrin Looks like he's jizzed all over his car.

Eighteeteewhy

7,259 posts

167 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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This one was in the papers not long ago...





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2853700/Th...

corvus

431 posts

151 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Shame you can't trace every scrap of rubbish to the original owner, store it up, then dump a years worth back over their heads, bunch of lazy, useless scum.

skip_1

3,459 posts

189 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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There is all sorts of crap along the verges, sometimes literally (cheers truckers). One of our lads kicked an old plastic bottle and ended up covered in the 'apple juice' hehe The amount of beer cans and bottles is incredible.

Other interesting finds include a massive dildo, pregnancy test (used) and love eggs & blow up doll (these two behind a VOSA checkpoint hehe)

gforceg

3,524 posts

178 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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I really dislike that kind of behaviour, there's just no need.

Here's a thing; back in the icy spell a few weeks ago I saw a crashed car off in the trees, festooned in blue and white Police mine tape. Later that day the car had been dragged out but the tape is still there weeks later.

Now, is that littering? Are the police responsible for removing it? Maybe the recovery driver contracted by the police? What about the council or highways agency? Too many people who can all say "nuffin to do wiff me mate". grrrrrr.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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lord trumpton

7,321 posts

125 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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mybrainhurts said:
Ive seen his face before; who the hell is it and why is his hair like that?

stevensdrs

3,208 posts

199 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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You don't get litter problems in Singapore. Get caught dropping litter there and you face jail and a good flogging. The problem is getting worse here because no one gives a fk anymore.

Ug_lee

2,223 posts

210 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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I've noticed recently an increase in crap along the roadside.

No doubt an easy cut to make in council budgets. I'm in a relatively population free area too so it has to be a lot worse in the south??

J4CKO

41,284 posts

199 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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There is very little excuse for littering, I take stuff home and put it in a bin if I cant find one, it is pretty basic, I regard people who don't do that as sub human.

belleair302

6,835 posts

206 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Time to get those in prison picking up litter to earn their keep and for parents to tell their children to NOT drop stuff...take it home. Take aways don't help and sadly there is a shortage of bins too. Councils don't want to empty them but they end up paying more to employ litter pickers. Sadly the UK is an untidy overpopulated island.