Letter: Litter is a National Problem, We Need to Address the Causes

Published on: 6 Jun, 2020
Updated on: 6 Jun, 2020

From Roland Dunster

In response to: Please Take Your Litter Home

Litter is an England-wide problem which affects every corner and environment of the country, and until national, county and borough authorities start treating the causes, rather than just the symptoms, it will continue unabated.

In my opinion, the only organisations which seem to understand this and are doing serious work in this field are Clean Up Britain (not to be confused with Keep Britain Tidy) and CPRE, the countryside charity.

I am no expert and in addition to other methods, I believe that the long-term/sustainable solution lies in firmer preventative messages being delivered in schools, in social media feeds, on national and local tv/radio and in the national and local press. The full use and enforcement of preventative powers and fines are also required.

I certainly cannot believe that these suggestions would be any less effective than the present expensive vicious cycle of: littering; authority cursory cleaning; and then more littering. It is a cycle demonstrably failing to combat this antisocial and consequence-free behaviour.

Responses to Letter: Litter is a National Problem, We Need to Address the Causes

Sue Hackman Reply

June 7, 2020 at 1:25 pm

We would have less litter if shops moved away from disposable packaging and plastic bottles and instead placed loose goods directly into shopping bags and sold liquids in reusable bottles. Alas, Guildford supermarkets have made only superficial moves to offer reusable vegetable packs. Well done those shops which do sell loose foods.

I also note in my own local park that some people leave their refuse helpfully close to the bins, but not actually in them. This seems to apply especially to dog poop bags and pizza boxes.

Could our street cleaning teams give us the percentage proportions of unbinned litter, by type, and work from that?
Pearl Catlin Reply

June 7, 2020 at 4:13 pm

To start at the bottom: bad parenting; fear of chastising children; a lack of pride in the house and of personal appearance; and fear of reprisals if one dares to see and reprimand a culprit.

Alas, this is the way things are now.

As for packaged goods. One needs the strength of goliath to open some items. A handy pair of scissors in the drawer and a very strong knife, plus a first aid kit is a must. Totally unnecessary and it might help if we removed this in the store; the message might then actually get to the manufacturers.

The world has gone raving mad.