National Highways - litter?

[bergclimber34]

A perfect example, I was driving home from work earlier, past a bus stop about 50 yards from a bin, three foam takeaway boxes and numerous drinks bottles just dumped on the ground.

I would say something to someone if I saw them do it, I really would. Sadly we have raised and more likely imported a generation of feckless ignorant and utterly selfish beings, I am so glad I have not had kids as this country at times deserves exactly what it gets.

[coppice]

mac96 said:

Littering is just ingrained in so many people, and councils like to make anything in the way of litter picking hard.

I recently spoke to someone (in Gwynedd) who had been threatened with prosecution by the council for clearing the litter out of a layby near his home. He It's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view over the sea, so well worth the effort. He was hoping to get their blessing for a more organised campaign of local litter picking. He won't be doing it again.

It's not just visitors either. I occasionally pick litter on a Gwynedd beach, and 95% of the plastics I pick up have either been allowed to blow there by local farmers, or have washed up having been chucked/lost overboard by fishing boats. The holidaymaker rubbish is very much in the minority by number of items, and barely significant by weight. Of course this will vary beach by beach, but it winds me up every time that most of the rubbish comes from groups of people who boast about being 'guardians of the environment'.

I would never tell the council that I was doing this, as no doubt their reaction to me would be the same as it was to the other guy.

Very disappointing re Gwynedd council . Although I'd be interested from them exactly what criminal offence is being committed . It's a much more laissez faire regime in my area ,with literally scores of volunteers litter picking at this time of year , with local authority blessing , and often with kit grant aided by them .

[POIDH]

It's a job for the filthy mingers who think dropping any litter is acceptable. And it's increasing everywhere, not just motorways.
I agree that community service should be out and picking it up.

[mac96]

coppice said:

mac96 said:

Littering is just ingrained in so many people, and councils like to make anything in the way of litter picking hard.

I recently spoke to someone (in Gwynedd) who had been threatened with prosecution by the council for clearing the litter out of a layby near his home. He It's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view over the sea, so well worth the effort. He was hoping to get their blessing for a more organised campaign of local litter picking. He won't be doing it again.

It's not just visitors either. I occasionally pick litter on a Gwynedd beach, and 95% of the plastics I pick up have either been allowed to blow there by local farmers, or have washed up having been chucked/lost overboard by fishing boats. The holidaymaker rubbish is very much in the minority by number of items, and barely significant by weight. Of course this will vary beach by beach, but it winds me up every time that most of the rubbish comes from groups of people who boast about being 'guardians of the environment'.

I would never tell the council that I was doing this, as no doubt their reaction to me would be the same as it was to the other guy.

Very disappointing re Gwynedd council . Although I'd be interested from them exactly what criminal offence is being committed . It's a much more laissez faire regime in my area ,with literally scores of volunteers litter picking at this time of year , with local authority blessing , and often with kit grant aided by them .

I don't actually believe there was a criminal offence; more likely a jobsworth trying to avoid having to do anything, finding it simpler to push the issue away with vague threats. I imagine the only possible offences are around what the litter picker does with the litter subsequently. Given that the rules probably say that you can only put your own domestic waste in your bin, that may be the issue.

[Riley Blue]

mac96 said:

coppice said:

mac96 said:

Littering is just ingrained in so many people, and councils like to make anything in the way of litter picking hard.

I recently spoke to someone (in Gwynedd) who had been threatened with prosecution by the council for clearing the litter out of a layby near his home. He It's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view over the sea, so well worth the effort. He was hoping to get their blessing for a more organised campaign of local litter picking. He won't be doing it again.

It's not just visitors either. I occasionally pick litter on a Gwynedd beach, and 95% of the plastics I pick up have either been allowed to blow there by local farmers, or have washed up having been chucked/lost overboard by fishing boats. The holidaymaker rubbish is very much in the minority by number of items, and barely significant by weight. Of course this will vary beach by beach, but it winds me up every time that most of the rubbish comes from groups of people who boast about being 'guardians of the environment'.

I would never tell the council that I was doing this, as no doubt their reaction to me would be the same as it was to the other guy.

Very disappointing re Gwynedd council . Although I'd be interested from them exactly what criminal offence is being committed . It's a much more laissez faire regime in my area ,with literally scores of volunteers litter picking at this time of year , with local authority blessing , and often with kit grant aided by them .

I don't actually believe there was a criminal offence; more likely a jobsworth trying to avoid having to do anything, finding it simpler to push the issue away with vague threats. I imagine the only possible offences are around what the litter picker does with the litter subsequently. Given that the rules probably say that you can only put your own domestic waste in your bin, that may be the issue.

The litter picking volunteers locally leave their collections in council supplied bags which are picked up by the council crew who empty dog bins. Just like recycling household waste a UK-wide litter policy is needed though I'm not holding my breath; when I was a district councillor on a county-wide waste/litter partnership it was impossible to get just five councils to agree a combined policy

[georgefreeman918]

One of the things that concerns me most is the amount of litter than is beer cans / bottles. Is this alcohol been consumed by the driver or passengers?

[mikeswagon]

Riley Blue said:

mac96 said:

coppice said:

mac96 said:

Littering is just ingrained in so many people, and councils like to make anything in the way of litter picking hard.

I recently spoke to someone (in Gwynedd) who had been threatened with prosecution by the council for clearing the litter out of a layby near his home. He It's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view over the sea, so well worth the effort. He was hoping to get their blessing for a more organised campaign of local litter picking. He won't be doing it again.

It's not just visitors either. I occasionally pick litter on a Gwynedd beach, and 95% of the plastics I pick up have either been allowed to blow there by local farmers, or have washed up having been chucked/lost overboard by fishing boats. The holidaymaker rubbish is very much in the minority by number of items, and barely significant by weight. Of course this will vary beach by beach, but it winds me up every time that most of the rubbish comes from groups of people who boast about being 'guardians of the environment'.

I would never tell the council that I was doing this, as no doubt their reaction to me would be the same as it was to the other guy.

Very disappointing re Gwynedd council . Although I'd be interested from them exactly what criminal offence is being committed . It's a much more laissez faire regime in my area ,with literally scores of volunteers litter picking at this time of year , with local authority blessing , and often with kit grant aided by them .

I don't actually believe there was a criminal offence; more likely a jobsworth trying to avoid having to do anything, finding it simpler to push the issue away with vague threats. I imagine the only possible offences are around what the litter picker does with the litter subsequently. Given that the rules probably say that you can only put your own domestic waste in your bin, that may be the issue.

The litter picking volunteers locally leave their collections in council supplied bags which are picked up by the council crew who empty dog bins. Just like recycling household waste a UK-wide litter policy is needed though I'm not holding my breath; when I was a district councillor on a county-wide waste/litter partnership it was impossible to get just five councils to agree a combined policy

This is interesting, and a bit worrying. I do a litter pick every month or so, from my house in Alford, along the A944 towards the Brig of Alford and back, depending on how far I get before my 1st bag fills up. Redbull cans, beer cans, fast food wrappers and vapes usually, last time also had Pinemartin roadkill.

All off my own bat, so no council involvement. I CBA going back into the village for the recycling centre, and don't want to put the bags in the car so use my own bins. Because I don't want to handle more than necessary, the bottles etc are not squashed so that bin can be quite full by the time it's 3 weeks is up. I never thought I'd be breaking any rules.

When doing similar around the campus and ski slope areas I've been tempted to just dump the bags in the campus reception, but I don't suppose that'd go down well either.

[mac96]

mikeswagon said:

Riley Blue said:

mac96 said:

coppice said:

mac96 said:

Littering is just ingrained in so many people, and councils like to make anything in the way of litter picking hard.

I recently spoke to someone (in Gwynedd) who had been threatened with prosecution by the council for clearing the litter out of a layby near his home. He It's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view over the sea, so well worth the effort. He was hoping to get their blessing for a more organised campaign of local litter picking. He won't be doing it again.

It's not just visitors either. I occasionally pick litter on a Gwynedd beach, and 95% of the plastics I pick up have either been allowed to blow there by local farmers, or have washed up having been chucked/lost overboard by fishing boats. The holidaymaker rubbish is very much in the minority by number of items, and barely significant by weight. Of course this will vary beach by beach, but it winds me up every time that most of the rubbish comes from groups of people who boast about being 'guardians of the environment'.

I would never tell the council that I was doing this, as no doubt their reaction to me would be the same as it was to the other guy.

Very disappointing re Gwynedd council . Although I'd be interested from them exactly what criminal offence is being committed . It's a much more laissez faire regime in my area ,with literally scores of volunteers litter picking at this time of year , with local authority blessing , and often with kit grant aided by them .

I don't actually believe there was a criminal offence; more likely a jobsworth trying to avoid having to do anything, finding it simpler to push the issue away with vague threats. I imagine the only possible offences are around what the litter picker does with the litter subsequently. Given that the rules probably say that you can only put your own domestic waste in your bin, that may be the issue.

The litter picking volunteers locally leave their collections in council supplied bags which are picked up by the council crew who empty dog bins. Just like recycling household waste a UK-wide litter policy is needed though I'm not holding my breath; when I was a district councillor on a county-wide waste/litter partnership it was impossible to get just five councils to agree a combined policy

This is interesting, and a bit worrying. I do a litter pick every month or so, from my house in Alford, along the A944 towards the Brig of Alford and back, depending on how far I get before my 1st bag fills up. Redbull cans, beer cans, fast food wrappers and vapes usually, last time also had Pinemartin roadkill.

All off my own bat, so no council involvement. I CBA going back into the village for the recycling centre, and don't want to put the bags in the car so use my own bins. Because I don't want to handle more than necessary, the bottles etc are not squashed so that bin can be quite full by the time it's 3 weeks is up. I never thought I'd be breaking any rules.

When doing similar around the campus and ski slope areas I've been tempted to just dump the bags in the campus reception, but I don't suppose that'd go down well either.

That's what I do with the proceeds of my beach litter picking, but I have access to large communal bins which only get full in the holiday season so room for several bags. Like you, no squashing or sorting.
I really wouldn't worry, they are very unlikely to notice, and if they diid they will probably just leave your bin unemptied.
I did look on Gwynedd website the other day, and it tells you what sort if rubbish to put in what bin and says nothing about the source of the items so I suppose they would be on shaky ground objecting to picked litter. Of course your council may be different.

[mikeswagon]

mac96 said:

That's what I do with the proceeds of my beach litter picking, but I have access to large communal bins which only get full in the holiday season so room for several bags. Like you, no squashing or sorting.
I really wouldn't worry, they are very unlikely to notice, and if they diid they will probably just leave your bin unemptied.
I did look on Gwynedd website the other day, and it tells you what sort if rubbish to put in what bin and says nothing about the source of the items so I suppose they would be on shaky ground objecting to picked litter. Of course your council may be different.

Good point, I'm in Aberdeenshire.

Just had a quick scan of their site, and seems ok. I've just got to abide by normal rules in terms of using correct bin, which I do and not overflowing etc.

The fight goes on!

Edited by mikeswagon on Wednesday 5th March 16:05

[Andy86GT]

It's a shame we can't take a leaf out of Singapore's rule book;
In Singapore, littering is a serious offense under the Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA), with fines ranging from $2,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for third and subsequent offenses, and potential Corrective Work Orders (CWOs).

[Altitude]

It's a relentlessly frustrating issue. It's not a straightforward task to litterpick on motorways, and the guys you see doing it, are the same guys who would be filling potholes, repairing barriers and helping clean up after crashes, and you know what always takes priority.

On a lot of the A roads, whilst the road may be managed by National Highways, litter and verges is managed by local councils, and they are always skint.

[swisstoni]

Andy86GT said:

It's a shame we can't take a leaf out of Singapore's rule book;
In Singapore, littering is a serious offense under the Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA), with fines ranging from $2,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for third and subsequent offenses, and potential Corrective Work Orders (CWOs).

Not normally a fan draconian measures, but in this case, why not?
I cannot think of a single excuse for it. Stick it in your pocket, chuck it in the back of the car, whatever, until you find a bin.

[Tim Cognito]

You could crank up the punishments (which I would be fully supportive of) but the underlying issue is why someone thinks it's acceptable to throw litter out the window in the first place.

I'm just an average person and I can't imagine anyone I know thinking it would be in any way acceptable to litter. Just who are these scumbags?

Interestingly, the only time I've witnessed littering from a car was an elderly lady who had a travel sweet, opened the window and posted the wrapper out. I was behind on my bike so I picked it up and gave it back to her at the next red light. Not the profile you would expect, maybe she had dementia or something...

[coppice]

I've said before that I think littering is far less common than when I was a kid, when almost everyone dropped fag packets, chip papers and bus tickets . But the minority who do it now do so on an industrial scale , exacerbated by the fact that so many people eat and drink on the move now. God knows why .

On the quiet country lanes where I often walk , which lead only to poultry farms and the like , I see the same litter , on the same side of the road every week. Costa and McDonalds cups, Greggs wrappers and Monster Energy cans . I assume it's the effing and blinding lads in their pickups I see queuing outside Greggs for whatever toxic muck is flavour of the month.

[ARHarh]

Back in the 70's when we had big issues with litter we set about a campaign to change attitudes. Keep Britain tidy.

It was drummed into us as kids, we have not forgotten. I don't think it needs much, just a return of some of these campaigns to raise awareness. It may need some adverts about the "entitled selfishness" we seem to suffer from these days as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beNdKtI6V2o

[Skodillac]

"Why shouldn't I throw it out of the window, keeps someone in work at the Council don't it, hur hur hur."

Tw@s.

Saw a guy pull up in a layby on the A4 the other day, wind his window down and eject two cardboard boxes out of the window, and drive off. The layby has a rubbish bin in it.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jbtqkMpjJFuoKGW19

[swisstoni]

coppice said:

I've said before that I think littering is far less common than when I was a kid, when almost everyone dropped fag packets, chip papers and bus tickets . But the minority who do it now do so on an industrial scale , exacerbated by the fact that so many people eat and drink on the move now. God knows why .

On the quiet country lanes where I often walk , which lead only to poultry farms and the like , I see the same litter , on the same side of the road every week. Costa and McDonalds cups, Greggs wrappers and Monster Energy cans . I assume it's the effing and blinding lads in their pickups I see queuing outside Greggs for whatever toxic muck is flavour of the month.

Perhaps these vendors should be invited to come and collect their junk. And if they need to add the cost on, so be it.

[Skodillac]

coppice said:

I've said before that I think littering is far less common than when I was a kid, when almost everyone dropped fag packets, chip papers and bus tickets . But the minority who do it now do so on an industrial scale , exacerbated by the fact that so many people eat and drink on the move now. God knows why .

On the quiet country lanes where I often walk , which lead only to poultry farms and the like , I see the same litter , on the same side of the road every week. Costa and McDonalds cups, Greggs wrappers and Monster Energy cans . I assume it's the effing and blinding lads in their pickups I see queuing outside Greggs for whatever toxic muck is flavour of the month.

Bold bit: I remember my grandparents being horrified at the thought of a family member being seen to be eating in public. They reasoned that other people would believe that the person wasn't being fed at home, and this would bring shame upon the family. Therefore, other than during something like a family picnic, it was expressly forbidden in my family to be seen eating in public. This must have been some uber-Victorian propriety hangover, and I remember being laughed at when I went to university in the late 80s when I said I couldn't have a kebab after the pub because I wasn't allowed! I sharpish got over that particular rule. Maybe my grandparents had a point after all, though...

[ARHarh]

Well I live on a quiet country road and just picked up an unopened bag of crisps dated to august last year. so someone has found them in the car and chucked them out this morning. If they have been in the car since before August they could have kept them in the car till they got home surely.

[sjabrown]

I wouldn't mind if legislation was introduced for 3 penalty points and a fine for the driver of a vehicle caught ejecting litter.