# Absolute rubbish!



## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

Are we in the UK the most untidy, scuffiest and uncaring 
people in Europe?

The reason I ask is that in my experience the country, particulaly in rural areas is slowly but surely being buried in an ever increasing amount of wayside discarded litter and rubbish. When I drive through country lanes the verges and hedgerows are obsolutely littered with thrown away drink cans, beer bottles, old car batteries, cigarette packets, fast food wrappers, garden rubbish in plastic sacks and many other unmentionable items.

I cannot help thinking that there are occasions that whilst driving through the lanes some people take this as a fine opportunity to "spring clean" the inside of their cars, open the windows and throw out a week or two's rubbish as they go. 

Then go back out on to the main road and it's just the same, the grass verges and bushes are absolutely full of rubbish of every kind. Come up to a round-about where traffic is likely to back-up with slow moving traffic and again here is the ideal spot to do a bit of car clearing out whilst you're waiting. The verges are litterally covered, and I mean covered in a layer of paper and rubbish of every kind, so much so that sometimes even the weeds have trouble in breaking through the crust of litter.

Whilst I'm here, ranting I know, don't the local authority EVER cut the grass and trim the hedges or take even the slightest bit of pride in what their county looks like? And please, please don't get on the subject of the potholes on the road, or that will REALLY set me off! Sometimes, when I look around at what visitors to this country see when entering the UK, particularly those from France who by the way, in the main, manage to keep their Country exceptionally tidy and very well trimmed, they must wonder why they ever bothered to come here. 

Shall I go on? ............no, I had better stop!
Here endeth my rant.............pick the bones out of that my good MH'ers !!! 
:leftfighter3:


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Try heading south from France next time, Spain is just a tip!:frown2:


tony


----------



## daffodil (Aug 7, 2014)

GEMMY said:


> Try heading south from France next time, Spain is just a tip!:frown2:
> 
> tony


Long live France this is one of the reasons I live here

The truth is the French on the whole still have something we Brits have lost sight of ,

and that is civic and personal pride even the teenagers will pick up the odd stray piece and put it into the bin



















Not even around the bins is there rubbish, mind we do get the bins emptied every week, they also cut the verges and hedgerows at least twice a year between nesting and breeding times


----------



## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks Gemmy, that's why I prefer to stay in France ! What a clean and tidy place France is, a country that takes great store in the word PRIDE I think.

And Daffy, thanks for that, as I was fearful that the Brits might have been thinking that the UK had always been in a mess !


----------



## rael (May 1, 2005)

Hmm, Paris anyone? Just be careful where you tread......
Greece?, well thats another story......

I know what you mean though, there is a lot of litter around in UK, but then I do live in Germany, where even thinking about dropping litter will probably get you 10 years in prison...........

Our cousins across the pond are pretty much the same as us, but I think they have a bit of a 'not in my backyard' attitude. The Germans for example will quite happily empty their car ashtray in Belgium before the get over the border, seen that a few times........


----------



## Jimblob44 (Oct 26, 2013)

I think it depends on where you live with regards to how tidy the local authority keeps the highways and byways.
Up here where I live the litter doesn't seem to be such a problem but we do get quite a lot of fly tipping which is sad considering we have great local amenity sites where getting rid of rubbish is easy and free!
On the M8 between Port Glasgow and Paisley the verges are always kept pretty clean and trim.
Having amenity sites open til late and trying to educate people not to throw litter from cars is about all we can do, it's up to the authorities to work out ways of catching these litter louts and dealing with them appropriately with a heavy fine or something.
We should all endeavour to keep our country clean, sadly it seems that the ones who do are in the minority.:frown2:

Jim.


----------



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I think daffy has hit the nail on the head with comment, Civic & Personal Pride.

cabby


----------



## WildThingsKev (Dec 29, 2009)

We have a couple of hundred metres of rural B road frontage and about once every couple of months, on bin day, I take a spare bin bag up which I generally fill. I do the other side of the road and a hundred metres the other side of our lane as well, it is so routine now that I no longer get cross about it!

Although rural we are only 1 mile from an urban area with fast food, supermarkets etc.

Kev


----------



## waspes (Feb 11, 2008)

I cant comment on the litter in France as when I am walking down the street there I cant look up for fear of stepping in dog cr*p. 

Peter.


----------



## Cazzie (Feb 13, 2009)

We have the same problem as you Kev. I'm always picking up rubbish which has been thrown from cars onto our drive. Even had cartons from KFC and as far as I know we don't have one of those anywhere near us!
I've also just found out that the local tip has just started charging for certain things. Apparently £1.75 for each bag of building rubble. They always did charge if you were a business but now charge for everyone. I can forsee lots more fly tipping.

Cazzie


----------



## daffodil (Aug 7, 2014)

waspes said:


> I cant comment on the litter in France as when I am walking down the street there I cant look up for fear of stepping in dog cr*p.
> 
> Peter.


AH Ah I can answer that one ,as told to me by a French Doctor

The cotisations here (taxes) are so high the average Frenchman thinks

I pay a fortune in local taxes so they can employ somebody to pick my dog crap up especially in Paris

I wonder how Gaspode would get on there :grin2:and does his missus keep him on a tight leash :wink2nly kidding


----------



## stevegos (Jun 23, 2013)

Thats certainly true about the dog mess in France. They pickup their litter more than others but the dogs mess is left all over the place.

Also remember the UK is a very crowded county compared to France and Spain - more people less space. There's a map showing country size by population. UK is larger than France and Spain!

http://www.iflscience.com/environment/world-map-scaled-population-size


----------



## Landyman (Apr 3, 2010)

Every time we drive up the A1 we are appalled at the amount of rubbish on the verges.
Here in Suffolk the local BBC radio station has been running a 'Don't be a tosser' campaign for a while which has helped.
It just comes down to laziness and a 'couldn't care less' attitude.
Very sad!

Richard.


----------



## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

Litter is becoming a massive problem in this country IMO. I cycle and I ride a scooter around country lanes near to where I live, and as others have said, I'm appalled by the amount I've seen. :frown2:

Fly tipping is becoming rife around my locale too, and that includes asbestos just dumped at will, and one big load was dropped in the middle of a country lane where the only vehicle that could get round it was a bicycle:angry8: Makes yer blood boil doesn't it

Steve


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We arrived back from Spain last night and have just driven up the M27 and A34 to home. One of the things we really noticed this morning was the massive- and I am not exaggerating- amount of litter on the verges. There was barely a break from Portsmouth to Oxford. Spain has it's ghastly problems with "large" litter ( concrete waste etc) but not a lot of junk food type litter.

Some of this stuff on the verges is, we think, caused by lorries full of litter driving to local tips without properly securing their load and preventing it from blowing away. Preventing this happening is not exactly rocket science and it would be easy to catch those who do it and fine them heavily and make them clear it away.

Lotos of it however is down to the " open window and throw out rubbish" attitude. It's no good appealing to the better nature of these people; catch them, put them in orange suits and make them collect litter from the verge, with big notices saying " We are the disgusting people who put it here in the first place" displayed for all to see.

I wondered, as we drove along this morning, just what foreign visitors thought of us and our filthy verges.

G


----------



## delawaredandy (Oct 12, 2012)

Parents and school children/teenagers, we live roughly central to two junior schools and one senior school and believe me you want to see the c*** those little darlings can produce, but then saying that when the litter bins attached to the lamp posts are full to overflowing because the local authority cant be bothered to come out and empty them on a regular basis what do you expect.
But yes you do get the impression this day that the moral and civic standards are definitely on a downward spiral, sad really.


----------



## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

GEMMY said:


> Try heading south from France next time, Spain is just a tip!:frown2:
> tony


Spain will be a nice place when they finish it . . :wink2:


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I wonder if its down to population and over crowding. Here in Teesdale our roads and verges, towns and villages are spotless but we are far from overcrowded. You can drive for miles in certain parts and hardly see anyone.


----------



## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

There's a multinational fast food drive thru not far from where I live, which borders some lovely countryside across to a few outlying villages.

I cycle those country lanes regularly and I'm disgusted at the amount of branded brown paper fast food bags, milkshake cartons and burger cartons that get dumped from cars driving back to the villages on an evening.

A new law that forced such companies to introduce drive thru ANPR, linked to a printer that plastered registration numbers over every bit of packaging would get my vote.

:wink2:


----------



## Roverdave (Jul 19, 2013)

We wilded all over Scotland last summer and were disgusted at the amount of litter in our beautiful country. The only place that was litter free and clean was Orkney, plenty of bins and loos, but maybe the litter just blew away :grin2:

Lesley


----------



## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Am another 'let the punishment fit the crime; believer. One months cleaning up for one piece dropped.
We live fairly near a local shop and think that snacks must be finished just as the reach our front garden. dog fouling has become a problem again too, think a certain dog just must mark his territory beside our fence if only we could catch it. not the dog's fault as with litter. According to grand daughter it is not 'cool' to put litter in a bin. Fortunately her parents do not agree.

Sue


----------



## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

Don't forget due to the cuts a lot of local authority road workers are now on the dole so a lot of the litter is not getting picked up now.
My pet hates are smokers dropping dog ends ever ware and chewing gum on the pavements outside the likes of McDonalds. 
:bazooka:


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

daffodil said:


> I wonder how Gaspode would get on there :grin2:and does his missus keep him on a tight leash :wink2nly kidding


Oh, gaspode gets on fine in France, the multitude of Frenchmen who p**s up the wall in the high street and everywhere else take everyone's attention away from scruffy little dogs having a quick piddle up a tree.0

Anyway, it's not gaspode's toilet habits that get up peoples noses, it's the smell and the fleas,:grin2: which is why the missus gives me plenty of room on the leash - she wouldn't want anyone to think I was with her.:wink2:

Seriously, as an example,I avoid the otherwise pleasant ACSI site in Lorches because of the unending trail of dog crap on the walk into town. Not that the dogs have it all their own way, the humans are just as bad, look for the soiled paper behind every rock at many remote French beauty spots. I've never met a dog who used toilet paper yet - and gaspode should know.:surprise:

Yes, the UK can be scruffy in parts (count the number of discarded chip wrappers on the pavement of most seaside towns) but we ain't on our own by a long way.


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

suedew said:


> According to grand daughter it is not 'cool' to put litter in a bin.
> 
> Sue


Her ears would not feel 'cool' if they were boxed a couple of times:wink2:


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Soon, if the Liberals get their way, we shall have compulsory labelling on all chewing gum packets asking users to put them in the bin.

This will make all the difference of course.

G


----------



## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

You should all see rural New Zealand then.........

First the view of the Pacific..........

Then just zoomed out a bit..............

and that only shows some of what's been deliberately dumped there. 
2 oil drums full of waste lower down.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

The litter in UK has got worse. I don't come back very often but do notice it more and more.

We have a large wheely bin for the six houses at the entrance of our 'Cul de sac' lane due to H&S not allowing the refuse lorry to reverse down the 100m. It's emptied twice a week but the very next day it's full of black or grey sacks from one business or another.
We don't mind people dropping off their rubbish in our bin but 'bitch' across the lane will attack them like a flying banshee for filling her personal bin. At least they don't fly tip as far as I can see, it's better in the bin than anywhere else to me.

Our grass verges are now covered in Primroses and a scattering of wild Orchids. 

Ray.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It could always be worse...................................

http://www.aol.co.uk/article/2015/0...aing-grid7|uk-ws-bb|dl3|sec1_lnk2&pLid=336576

Ray.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

The area where we live, and indeed most of the town centre, is pretty clean and litter-free. Chewing gum is the scourge of Oxford and the council spend a fortune pressure washing it off pavements- which leaves a mark.

We have 5 waste bins at the side of the house;

unsorted re-cycleables, collected fortnightly; 
garden waste, fortnightly, 
compostable food waste, weekly,
everything else: weekly 
electrical items, as and when full

Urban mess is not the problem here but the roadside verges are dreadful.

G


----------



## Jimblob44 (Oct 26, 2013)

I have heard that in some places collection of household waste will become a once a month collection, this is because we are recycling more and "normal" waste is declining. Well all I can see is more litter clogging the streets and more fly tipping when Joe Blow can't fit 4 weeks worth of houshold litter in one wheelie bin!
Instead of councils spending money on "fact finding" missions for their councillors etc they should be fighting to keep the local environment as clean and tidy as possible.
In my home town we have more and more cruise liners visiting every year, depositing thousands of tourists for coach tours and shopping trips, the last thing they need to see is streets full of rubbish.

Jim.


----------



## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

From the the M1 Junction 29 to Chesterfield is a five mile dual carriageway and as you can see in the photos the verges are strewn with rubbish the complete length of the road.

Isn't their something called Community Service that is given to criminal offenders as a punishment for their wrongdoings?

Couldn't they be the ones to clear away the rubbish from the sides of roads and at least help the local communities by doing something worthwhile?

A five mile walk, good exercise in the fresh air and keeping the local area clean and tidy would not only benefit them but also help to improve the surrounding environment.

Is it an option – if not – why not?


----------



## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

Fear not, a parliamentary litter report published today by the Communities and Local Government Committe (CLG) should put all your minds at rest, as they've just put out this no doubt costly report identifying all the problems and emphasising the fact that the concerns are real and that something needs to be done about it. (I think we know that already!) They seem to be trying to put the blame on cigarette shops, restaurants and retail food outlets because it's _their_ packaging and whilst maybe they play some part in all this, surely it's the morons who throw the stuff out of their cars windows _after_ they consumed the product that is the real problem?


----------



## dhutchy (Feb 7, 2010)

We live in a tourist village and our metro council do not give a t*ss about us even though they use us for their promos to get people to come to our area.You can tell where the young kids hang out with the amount of litter they leave.Even in the park they will leave piles of litter after their picnics even though there are bins everywhere,even if they are full what harm would it do to bag it up and take it home.The council don't even come to clean the dead leaves up anymore,i emailed to complain a bit ago about when i was walking out with my dog two old lasses from the north east were walking with me down the path from the coach park to the church and nearly slipped over on wet leaves so i let them know they could have claims coming in if they don't sort it ,guess what they did it so you need to put complaints in.It's not just the young uns though, at the main car park to the Bronte parsonage the other week i saw a lady with a fancy dog, at first i thought it was a bitch and peeing she didn,t get a bag out.When i walked down i had a look and it had cr*pped there is crap all over the grass bank no respect for one of the major parts of the village from either residents or council ,i am going to photograph them and put pictures of them on lamposts another old lass was doing the same on the same verge a couple of nights later.There is a lane down the back of my house where i cut the grass verges the bit at the front of my window on that lane i planted up at my own expense,i think it was last week i watched a woman letting her dog crap in the border on my plants so i banged on the window,guess what she obviously doesn't bag up she had to scoop it up in her hand>>>serves her right.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well

Where we live in bury

We don't have much rubbish on our streets

Occasionally an odd thing pushed into our hedges

Al in all

Good

Aldra


----------

